UN envoy to the Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, is preparing to visit Morocco, where he is expected to meet with civil activists and local and elected authorities. He is also expected to visit the Tindouf camps and Algeria.
This comes ahead of the Security Council report due at the end of October.
According to informed sources who spoke to MoroccoLatestNews AR, de Mistura is expected to arrive in Morocco on Monday or Tuesday to meet with civil activists in Laayoune. He is also likely to meet with local and elected authorities.
According to MoroccoLatestNews, de Mistura will likely arrive in Rabat first to meet with Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, before heading to Laayoune.
De Mistura’s visit to Morocco will be followed by visits to the Tindouf camps and Algeria, as part of consultations with the parties to the conflict ahead of the annual report.
The United States is considered the “penholder” in drafting the upcoming Security Council resolution on the Moroccan Sahara file. The resolution is expected to address the status of the MINURSO mission, whose mandate ends in October.
Barbara Leaf, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, visited Morocco and Algeria. Her deputy, Joshua Harris, also met with the Polisario leadership in the Tindouf camps.