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UN Resolution Supports Morocco’s Western Sahara Plan
Last Friday, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2797, which supports Morocco’s 2007 autonomy plan as the official basis for negotiations on the Western Sahara conflict. The plan envisages the Western Sahara having its own democratically elected legislative, executive, and judicial bodies, while remaining an integral part of Morocco. According to the resolution, autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty represents the “most realistic solution” to the conflict. At the same time, the text makes no reference to a referendum on self-determination for the Sahrawi population, as demanded by the independence movement Frente Polisario. The Security Council also extended the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), which was due to expire on 31 October, by a further year and tasked the UN Secretary-General with submitting a report on a strategic review of the mandate within six months. Eleven of the 15 members of the UN Security Council voted in favour of adopting the resolution, which was tabled by the United States and actively supported by France and the United Kingdom. China, Russia, and Pakistan abstained, while Algeria, the closest ally of the Frente Polisario and currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, did not participate in the vote.
Algeria, which had attempted to influence the text through diplomatic channels and to persuade Russia and China to veto it prior to adoption, sharply criticised the text. Although the resolution is considered an improvement compared to previous texts, it allegedly ignores compromise proposals from the Frente Polisario, said Algerian UN Ambassador Amar Bendjama. The text also contradicts the UN’s previous stance on decolonisation. The Frente Polisario likewise rejected several passages and made it clear that it would not participate in any process that legitimised the Moroccan occupation. At the same time, Brahim Ghali, President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and Secretary-General of the Frente Polisario, emphasised that the resolution still identifies “the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara” as a goal — one of the main demands of the Frente Polisario.
In Morocco, by contrast, the resolution was hailed as a diplomatic success. Numerous Moroccans celebrated its adoption on the streets of the country’s largest cities. King Mohammed VI praised the resolution in a televised address as a tool for resolving what he considers a “manufactured conflict” and announced that an updated autonomy plan would be submitted in the coming months. On Monday, both chambers of parliament also discussed the next steps. The United States likewise described the resolution as a historic success and stated that it intends to encourage the parties to enter further negotiations in the coming weeks.
With Resolution 2797, the UN Security Council recognises Morocco’s autonomy plan as the formal basis for future negotiations for the first time. According to assessments by several legal experts, this points to a paradigm shift in the approach to the Western Sahara conflict: moving away from the issue of decolonisation towards a model of negotiated governance under Moroccan sovereignty. This shift had already become apparent in recent years, as alongside the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, and increasingly African states have aligned with Morocco’s position (Press Review KW 31/2024, Press Review KW 14/2022). Whether the new mediation efforts will lead to progress or further entrench the positions of the parties remains to be seen.
Steinmeier in Egypt, Ghana and Angola
Today marked the end of Federal President Steinmeier’s multi-day trip to Africa, which took him to Egypt, Ghana and Angola. He was accompanied by Minister of State Serap Güler (Federal Foreign Office) and a business delegation. The visit began on Saturday, when Steinmeier attended the official opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum at the invitation of his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. The museum displays more than 100,000 artefacts, including, for the first time, the complete burial collection of Tutankhamun. On Sunday, Steinmeier held bilateral talks with Al-Sisi on deepening the strategic partnership between Germany and Egypt. The discussions focused on issues of economic cooperation, skilled labour migration, and the containment of irregular migration. The further development of Egypt’s partnership with the European Union (EU) was also addressed, following the first EU–Egypt summit held at the end of October. Another topic of discussion was developments in the region, particularly in the Gaza Strip. During his previous visit in September 2024, Steinmeier had already spoken with Al-Sisi about Egypt’s role as a mediator in the conflict; this time, talks centred on stabilising the ceasefire, humanitarian aid, and reconstruction.
On Monday, Steinmeier travelled on to Accra, where he met President John Dramani Mahama. Against the backdrop of increasing extremist violence and declining political stability in the Sahel region, peace and security were key topics of discussion. Steinmeier also met representatives of civil society and Ghana’s start-up scene. In the evening, he awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany to four individuals, including former German national football player Gerald Asamoah, who supports children with heart conditions in Ghana through his foundation. While in Kumasi, Steinmeier visited a vaccine production project and attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Centre of Excellence for Green Technologies at the Kumasi Technical Institute. Germany and the EU are supporting Ghana in establishing itself as a West African hub for vaccine and pharmaceutical production. This was Steinmeier’s second visit to the West African country as Federal President, after his first in 2017. Like Egypt, Ghana is a Compact with Africa partner country.
On Wednesday, Federal President Steinmeier continued his trip to Luanda. The talks with President João Lourenço focused on strengthening political and economic relations as well as cooperation on raw materials. Angola is the world’s fourth-largest diamond producer and possesses significant, largely untapped deposits of critical minerals. Several memoranda of understanding were signed, including a cooperation agreement between Lufthansa Consulting and the state-owned airline TAAG, as well as an agreement to establish an agro-industrial development centre between the Angolan Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Gauff Engineering, and CHB Investment Holding. From Huambo, Steinmeier visited parts of the Lobito Corridor – an infrastructure project co-financed by the EU under the Global Gateway initiative and by the United States, linking Angola’s Atlantic coast with the mining regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. During the visit, he called on German companies to invest along the corridor. Angola is celebrating 50 years of independence this year and currently holds the chairmanship of the African Union. At the end of November, Luanda will host the AU–EU summit – a sign of Angola’s growing regional and international importance, which Steinmeier’s visit, as the first German Federal President to travel there, also underscores.
In other news
On Sunday, the 15th edition of Lagos Fashion Week came to an end. This year’s event brought together more than 60 African designers. Once again, ecological and social sustainability played a central role. Among the collections presented was that of Ghanaian designer Titus Doku, produced entirely through upcycling. In this process, used materials are transformed into new garments without being destroyed, giving waste a new purpose. In recent years, sustainability has become an increasingly important pillar of Lagos Fashion Week – a development that is now also gaining international recognition. On Wednesday, the platform received the Earthshot Prize in the category “Build a Waste-Free World”, an environmental award established by Prince William to honour global innovators addressing environmental challenges. The prize underscores Lagos Fashion Week’s commitment to reshaping the fashion industry and reducing textile waste.
Event information
From 11 to 16 November 2025, the Berlin film festival AFRIKAMERA will showcase the latest African film productions under the theme of ‘CHANGE’. Since 2007, the association toucouleur e.V. has organised the festival dedicated to promoting African perspectives within the German cultural sphere. At the centre of this year’s edition are films that question conventional gender roles, power relations and social structures, as well as works by female directors. In addition to film screenings, visitors can look forward to numerous discussion formats and networking events taking place at various venues such as City Kino Wedding, Brotfabrik, and Sinema Transtopia. The festival will open with the film Promis le ciel by Tunisian director Erige Sehiri, which focuses on the lived realities of African migrant women and their search for community. A festival for all those who wish to experience cinema from an African perspective. Follow this link for the detailed festival programme.