فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
In a notable diplomatic move, Michael Imran Kanu, Sierra Leone’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, sent a letter to the President and members of the UN Security Council expressing his concern over “factual inaccuracies” in the Council’s latest report to the General Assembly regarding the Moroccan Sahara issue.
Details of the Letter and Objections
In his letter, the Sierra Leonean ambassador pointed out that the controversial paragraph in the report gives a misleading impression of the Security Council’s position, as it “attributes to the Council a political characterization or assessment of the situation in the Sahara that has neither been accepted by members nor formally adopted.” He expressed regret over what he described as a “political characterization” that does not reflect the official stance of the Security Council.
The diplomat emphasized that this inaccuracy distorts the official report and deviates from the Council’s usual practices, affirming that his country’s delegation formally dissociates itself from the disputed section and calls for its revision.
International Support and Divergent Positions
During the session adopting the report, Sierra Leone’s representative stressed the urgent need to amend the relevant paragraph to align it with the facts, noting that a majority of Council members acknowledge this issue in the current version. She underscored that the political assessment “directly undermines the credibility, neutrality, and accuracy of the annual report, which must reflect the Council’s activities as they occurred, not as perceived through divergent political lenses.”
She proposed a revision ensuring the report faithfully and neutrally reflects the factual decision adopted by the Council—namely, the extension of the MINURSO mandate under Resolution 2756 of 2024.
In this context, the United States representative expressed support for Sierra Leone’s intervention, agreeing with its conclusions and approach. Similarly, the French representative backed Sierra Leone’s observations, highlighting that substantive comments on the report should be taken into account, especially regarding how facts are presented. He noted that his delegation had submitted written comments on the report.
Opposition from Some Countries
Conversely, the delegations of Russia, Algeria, and China opposed Sierra Leone’s request to revise the contested paragraph during the report adoption session, reflecting ongoing political divisions within the Security Council on this issue.
Background
It is worth noting that Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Omar Hilale, had previously sent a similar letter to the Security Council condemning the “biased” paragraph that singled out “two parties” in the 2024 report, expressing Morocco’s strong surprise and firm rejection of this characterization.
These developments occur amid ongoing international efforts to address the Moroccan Sahara file through the United Nations, against a backdrop of continuous debate over political language reflecting the differing positions of Security Council member states.
