UN says Staffan de Mizutra has not resigned

UN Secretary-General Staffan de Mistura’s personal envoy for the Sahara is rumored to be resigning, the United Nations has denied.

The UN Secretary-General’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said these speculations about his departure are completely false.

“The Special Envoy plans to maintain and intensify engagement with all relevant international sponsors in a wide range of forms and formats, including regional visits and bilateral opportunities,” he announced.

On the other hand, the spokesperson added that Staffan de Mistura “appreciates the support of the members of the Security Council and of the Group of Friends of Western Sahara, as demonstrated by the recent meetings in New York” before submitting the periodic report to the Security Council last April.

Rumors of his resignation are explained by his balance sheet around 2 regional tours and speeches that could not restart the political process. Unsuccessful in bringing Algeria back to the Round Table, Staffan de Mistura has resigned himself to holding informal bilateral meetings to subtly engage Algiers in the process.

The Swedish Italiano took over as Antonio Guterres’ personal envoy to the Sahara on November 1, 2021, amid deadlock and stalemate after the last round of direct talks between Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and Polisario militias, which ended in March 2019.

Before him, former German President Horst Koehler, who was appointed in 2017 and resigned for health reasons in 2019, failed to justify the parties. The emergence of conflict and its maintenance.

Prior to his assignment to the Sahara, Staffan de Mistura was the UN envoy to Syria, before announcing his resignation in 2018 for “personal reasons” after more than four years in the role.