Sahara: UN Chief determined to find successor to Horst Köhler

The UN Secretary General is determined to find a new UN Sahara envoy in replacement of German Horst Köhler who stepped down in May 2019 “for health reasons”.

The remarks were made by Spokesperson for the UN chief, Stéphane Dujarric, during his latest daily press briefing, reaffirming that filling such an important post is not an easy task.

Responding to a question on the process of appointing a UN envoy for the Sahara following the meeting held by the UN Security Council on Apr.21 on the Sahara, Mr. Dujarric said :“ We continue… as the Secretary-General often says, he’s neither pessimistic or optimistic; he’s determined. And he continues his efforts to try to find a personal envoy”.

“It is not an easy task. I mean, you have seen the same reporting as I have of different people …have been blocked for one reason or another”, added Mr. Stephane Dujarric.

“On the Secretary-General’s end, the fact that there is no personal envoy in place is not from lack of trying, and he will continue to move in that direction”, underlined the UN official.

But this is only half of the truth as he avoids to name the parties (Algeria and Polisario) which are blocking the appointment of candidates proposed by Antonio Guterres of a new personal envoy for the Sahara, a post which remains vacant for nearly two years.

While Morocco has accepted the UN Chief picks (Romanian Petre Roman and Portuguese Luis Amado) to replace German Horst Köhler, Algeria and its Polisario puppet turned down the two proposed candidacies in blatant violation and open defiance of Security Council resolutions.

The UN should hold Algeria accountable for obstructing the UN process as the country is the main stakeholder of the Sahara issue and main supporter of the separatist group which it shelters, funds and arms in its proxy war against Morocco.

Providing polisario chief Ibrahim Ghali with Algerian travel documents bearing false identity to enable him escape international warrant arrest issued by Spanish justice for crimes against humanity is another evidence of Algeria’s connivance and involvement in the Sahara conflict.