The Algeria-backed polisario separatist group has accused the United Nations of violating the ceasefire agreement, concluded in 1991, after the UN dropped definitively the referendum option for the settlement of the Sahara, insisting on a realistic, practical and lasting political solution to the Sahara issue. The Algerian-Polisario duo seized the opportunity of the 29th anniversary of the signing of the 1991 ceasefire agreement in the Sahara, marked Sept.06, to take aim at the UN body. Last week, Algeria suffered another setback at the Security Council as it failed to include the Sahara issue in the agenda of the UN executive body, chaired this September by Niger. Algeria will certainly be irked and upset to see the Council monthly work not featuring debates on the Sahara as it was hoping. This represents another bitter diplomatic setback suffered by Algerian rulers and Polisario leaders who have conducted intensive lobbying to include the Sahara issue in the agenda of the Security Council but with no success.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 09, 2020 16:52 UTC