Algeria renews push for MINURSO to monitor human rights in the Sahara

On Monday, March 24, Algeria renewed its request for the UN Security Council to expand MINURSO's mandate to include human rights monitoring in the Sahara. Algeria's permanent representative to the UN made the appeal during a meeting of the Fifteen, which focused on improving the adaptability of UN peacekeeping operations.

In his speech, the diplomat argued that «MINURSO remains a notable exception among all peace operations in Africa, as the only one without a human rights mandate», according to Algerian media. He called this situation a «concerning anomaly and a glaring paradox».

Notably, the Security Council had already rejected a similar Algerian proposal on October 31 during a public session. Even Russia opposed it. A few days earlier, the United States and France had also refused to include Algeria’s proposal in draft resolution 2756.

With the Security Council having ruled out the option of a referendum in the Sahara, Algeria has now made this issue a key focus of its diplomatic efforts in international forums.