The UN Security Council is set to meet later this month to vote on the annual resolution regarding Western Sahara and the mandate of the MINURSO mission. Established in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire, the mission is currently facing efforts by the United States and France to limit its scope to endorsing the Moroccan autonomy plan. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura faces challenges in maintaining neutrality, amid reports of attempts to identify alternative Sahrawi representatives. Meanwhile, Algeria is being pressured as part of broader geopolitical shifts in North Africa. Despite the Fourth Committee's recent reaffirmation of the right to self-determination, Western powers appear to be pushing for a settlement that ignores the Sahrawi people's fundamental right to a direct, unconstrained referendum on their future.