UN Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, has informed the Security Council that diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict have hit a deadlock. Reporting on negotiation rounds held in Washington and Madrid, he noted that fundamental disagreements remain unresolved, preventing any significant progress. De Mistura emphasized that the Western Sahara issue remains a decolonization matter, asserting that any autonomy proposals cannot be forced upon the Sahrawi people, who hold the inherent right to self-determination. He stated that a lasting and just solution requires moving beyond preconceived outcomes and that both parties must demonstrate flexibility to break the current diplomatic stalemate.