Former MINURSO head calls for mission’s closure in the Sahara
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Yabiladi
Julian Harston, a former head of MINURSO, calls for the UN mission in the Sahara to be closed and says autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only way out of the conflict. In a LinkedIn post, he describes the mission as anachronistic and accuses Algeria of hindering the political process, according to Yabiladi.
Julian Harston, a former special representative of the UN secretary-general for the Sahara and former head of MINURSO, has called for the mission to be closed, describing it as anachronistic. He considers autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty the only solution to the conflict, in a LinkedIn post reported by Yabiladi.
Harston, who led MINURSO between 2007 and 2009, considers the self-determination referendum envisaged by its initial mandate never to have been a realistic prospect. He also accused Algeria of blocking settlement initiatives and described the living conditions of Sahrawis in the Tindouf camps as a hostage situation, according to Yabiladi.
The position comes after MINURSO’s mandate expired on 31 October 2026, because of the lack of agreement in the Security Council on its renewal. It follows the end of MINURSO’s mandate, described by Carteron on 31 October as a turning point in the Sahara, and support for Moroccan autonomy mentioned on 1 November by a Jordanian academic.
