Guterres calls for Sahrawi consultation on autonomy as Morocco seeks to advance its Sahara plan
António Guterres proposes putting the future autonomy status of the Sahara to a vote by the Sahrawi population. The new requirement comes as Morocco seeks to consolidate its diplomatic gains ahead of the UN Security Council vote scheduled for 31 October.
Will Morocco’s autonomy plan have to be approved by the Sahrawis themselves? That is the question António Guterres raises in his latest report on the Sahara, submitted to the Security Council on 1 October. The UN secretary-general recommends a “genuine consultation process” that would allow the population to freely accept or reject the future status. The recommendation was outlined on Monday, 12 October, by the Spanish daily El País.
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Guterres believes any proposed settlement must guarantee the exercise of the right to self-determination. This wording introduces an important question into the discussions surrounding Morocco’s initiative: whether the status must be approved by the populations concerned.
In October 2025, the Security Council placed Morocco’s autonomy plan at the centre of negotiations, with the adoption of Resolution 2797. Rabat has since presented a more detailed version of its proposal, which provides in particular for a government, a parliament and police powers for the future autonomous region.
A consultation on autonomy rather than independence?
The distinction lies at the heart of the debate. The consultation envisaged by Guterres would concern acceptance of an autonomy status, while the Polisario Front continues to call for a referendum that includes the option of independence. Morocco, for its part, favours approval of the status within the framework of its sovereignty, with a vote in which all Moroccans would take part.
Before the Security Council on Thursday, 8 October, the UN personal envoy, Staffan de Mistura, also stressed the need to secure the populations’ support for a negotiated settlement. According to El País, the diplomat recalled that autonomy could not simply be imposed.
The United States occupies a central place in this sequence. Washington, which has supported Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara since 2020, must prepare the draft resolution to be put to a vote before 31 October. The US administration has already held several rounds of talks between Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the Polisario, without managing to resolve the main disagreements.
On Bladi.net : Morocco pushes to move beyond the current Minurso, while Algeria stalls in Washington
Guterres’s report also addresses the future of MINURSO. The secretary-general recommends extending its mandate by one year, until 31 October 2027, as Rabat and Washington seek to review the mission of the force deployed since 1991. Reforming its operations could accompany the next steps in the political process.
The Security Council must now decide whether to renew the mission and determine the framework for future negotiations. The proposed consultation is among the secretary-general’s recommendations; his second term as head of the United Nations will end on 31 December.
