Western Sahara: Morocco's high-stakes strategy threatens a return to conflict

Morocco is aiming to leverage the non-renewal of the MINURSO mission to impose new parameters on the Western Sahara issue and reshape the political process. During a recent intervention, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita asserted that autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty should be the exclusive framework for negotiations, while also calling for a restructuring of the UN's role and its personal envoy's mandate. By pushing for a unilateral approach and seeking the political capitulation of the Polisario Front, Rabat is pursuing a risky strategy. Observers warn that blocking diplomatic avenues may fuel support for armed struggle among the Sahrawi people, potentially leading to a resumption of hostilities in the absence of solid international guarantees.