The UN General Assembly's Fourth Committee passed a resolution last Thursday, securing an overwhelming majority of 152 votes in favor, two against, and seven abstentions. The decision upholds the inalienable right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination, officially classifying the Western Sahara conflict as a decolonization issue in line with the UN Charter and the 1960 Resolution 1514.
Sahrawi President Brahim Ghali affirmed that this vote reinforces the people's resolve to continue their struggle for freedom and independence. In New York, Algeria’s permanent representative to the UN, Amar Bendjama, reiterated his country's principled stance, noting that Western Sahara remains a non-self-governing territory that requires a decolonization process. Similarly, Idriss Latreche, Algeria’s representative in Geneva, defended the Sahrawi cause before the UNHCR.
This outcome reinforces the international consensus that the final settlement of the dispute must respect the principles of international law, rejecting any claims that seek to bypass the UN-mandated path for self-determination.