Moroccan political scientist says MINURSO’s end favours autonomy plan
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on MAP
Moroccan political scientist Cherkaoui Roudani believes the non-renewal of MINURSO’s mandate strengthens the position of Morocco’s autonomy initiative in discussions on the Sahara. He sees it as a new diplomatic stage for Rabat, following Resolution 2797 of 2025 and the Royal Cabinet statement of 30 October, according to MAP.
Moroccan political scientist Cherkaoui Roudani believes that the UN Security Council’s decision not to renew MINURSO’s mandate strengthens the place of Morocco’s autonomy initiative in discussions on the Sahara. He described the development as a new diplomatic stage for Rabat, following Resolution 2797 of 2025 and the Royal Cabinet statement of 30 October, in remarks to MAP.
Roudani said the autonomy initiative proposed by Morocco in 2007 has a central place in the new diplomatic phase, reinforced, in his view, by Resolution 2797 adopted in 2025. He considers that the Royal Cabinet statement of 30 October marks a shift in the international handling of the issue and calls into question the continuity of a UN framework established in 1991.
The political scientist believes that MINURSO’s 35 years on the ground have not produced a settlement. He presents autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as the foundation of the kingdom’s diplomatic strategy and says the Day of Unity, proclaimed by the king, places the Sahara issue within the historical continuity of the Moroccan state.
The remarks follow the UN’s rejection of Russia’s draft resolution to extend MINURSO on 30 October. The following day, the USFP reaffirmed its support for Moroccan autonomy.
