In his report to the Security Council on the question of the Moroccan Sahara, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted the full cooperation and optimal coordination between Morocco and MINURSO, particularly in the areas of logistical support, medical services, security of UN sites and demining.
The report confirms that “Morocco has remained committed to the ceasefire”, while preserving its right to respond to any provocation by the “polisario” militias.
During the reporting period, MINURSO’s operational activities in the Moroccan Sahara were only moderately impacted by restrictions in relation to health measures put in place to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, thanks to the full cooperation of Moroccan authorities.
According to ‘’Guterres’’, Morocco has not only fully respected the freedom of movement of MINURSO, but has also supported the UN Mission by facilitating the movement of its civilian and military members to and from their places of deployment, by guaranteeing them access to special commercial international flights.
The UN Secretary-General welcomed Morocco’s initiative to vaccine civilian and military staff deployed in the Moroccan Sahara within MINURSO, thanks to the coordination of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and the Ministry of Health and in compliance with its international commitments, in order to safeguard the health and well-being of peacekeepers. Not to mention that the report appreciated the unchanged cooperation and communication at the strategic level between the FAR and MINURSO.
By Nouhaila El Bouhli