Sahara

UN Secretary-General António Guterres met with Algeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs at the United Nations, according to UN Media. No details of the discussion were released, but such meetings typically cover regional security, the situation in the Sahel and Western Sahara, and cooperation between Algeria and the organization. Algeria is a key diplomatic player in North Africa and a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

Researchers at Stellenbosch University conclude that trophy hunting in sub-Saharan Africa is more positive than negative for both local communities and nature. The study argues that regulated hunting revenue supports conservation and livelihoods in ways that may outweigh its harms, challenging common assumptions among animal welfare advocates and conservationists.

Burkina Faso and the United Arab Emirates have endorsed Morocco's plan for Western Sahara, the disputed territory contested since 1975. Algeria is backing the Polisario Front, the armed movement seeking independence. The latest diplomatic moves deepen the split at the United Nations over the fate of Africa's last major unresolved decolonisation dispute.

El País reports on the transboundary journeys of air pollution, tracing how ozone, Saharan dust and wildfire smoke migrate across national borders and continents. The piece examines how dust from the Sahara reaches distant regions and how wildfire emissions spread far from their origins, underlining that air quality is a shared, cross-border problem requiring international attention.

Talks over the disputed Western Sahara, also known as the Moroccan Sahara, are said to be entering a new phase of negotiations. The long-running territorial dispute between Morocco and the Polisario Front has been the subject of UN-mediated efforts for decades, and any reported shift in the diplomatic process is drawing attention among observers of the region.

The Polisario Front's representative to the United Nations has met with the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations. The Sahara Press Agency reported the meeting, which concerns the long-running Western Sahara dispute, where the Polisario Front seeks independence from Morocco and the UN maintains a peacekeeping mission. Details of what was discussed have not yet been released.

The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet on October 7-8 to discuss Western Sahara, ahead of a vote on the renewal of the MINURSO peacekeeping mandate. The long-running dispute over the territory remains unresolved, and the mandate renewal is closely watched by Morocco, the Polisario Front and regional stakeholders.

Chile and El Salvador have expressed support for Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara at the United Nations, according to Morocco World News. The plan, which would grant the disputed territory autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty, has been gaining diplomatic backing from a growing number of countries, though the Polisario Front and Algeria continue to push for a referendum on independence.

A Sahrawi human rights defender addressed the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, calling for an independent international mechanism to monitor human rights in Western Sahara. The appeal, carried by the Sahrawi news agency, renews long-standing calls for outside oversight of the disputed territory, where rights groups say monitoring remains limited amid the ongoing conflict with Morocco.

Elghalia Djimi addressed the UN Human Rights Council, calling for the implementation of the Durban Declaration decisions and respect for the Geneva Conventions in Western Sahara. Her appeal puts the long-disputed territory back on the council's agenda, pressing international bodies to enforce human rights obligations in the occupied territories.

The UN Security Council is set to address in October the future of its peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, MINURSO, as the mandate for the long-running operation comes up for renewal. The deliberations come amid continued tension over the disputed territory, and observers of the Sahrawi question are watching closely for signals on whether the Council will adjust the mission's scope or the broader diplomatic framework.

The Polisario Front's representative to the United Nations confirmed that the basis for a just and lasting solution to the Western Sahara conflict lies in guaranteeing the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination and independence. The statement was reported by the Sahrawi Arab News Agency, reiterating the movement's long-standing position in its decades-old dispute with Morocco over the territory.

The Mauritanian Socialist Party (MSP) has called on UN Secretary-General António Guterres to open the Western Sahara peace process to a moderate Sahrawi voice, arguing the current framework is too narrow. The appeal targets the long-stalled UN-led negotiations over the disputed territory, and comes amid renewed international debate over how to restart talks involving Sahrawi representation beyond the established parties.