UNSG Personal Envoy for Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, arrived in Laayoune on Monday evening as part of his mission to engage with various stakeholders in the region, announced the UN in a press release.
Staffan de Mistura was greeted cordially upon his arrival by General Fakhrul Ahsan of Bangladesh, commander of MINURSO.
The UN envoy is scheduled to hold a special meeting on Tuesday morning with civil society representatives, local associations, and human rights activists in Laayoune, the capital of the Moroccan Sahara, according to sources.
Mistura’s visit to the Sahara aims to deepen consultations with stakeholders and advance the political process. These engagements are expected to shape the Secretary-General’s report to the UN Security Council in October.
The Personal Envoy will report on his visits and engagements to both the Secretary-General and the Security Council. The international community is closely monitoring progress towards a peaceful resolution, said the UN statement.
Algeria, which claims to have no role in the matter, is vehemently opposed to restarting round table negotiations, such as those convened in Switzerland by the prior UN ambassador, former German President Horst Köhler, in Spring 2019.