UN Ends Western Sahara Mission After 35 Years as Security Council Deadlocks

File photo: MINURSO vehicles in Laayoune, Western Sahara, February 1, 2019. Photo: Anass Sedrati/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara began winding down on November 1 after the Security Council failed to renew its mandate, ending a 35-year presence in the disputed territory. A smaller UN team will oversee the withdrawal of personnel and equipment.

The Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, known as MINURSO, was created in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire and prepare a vote on the territory’s future. That referendum never took place because Morocco and the Polisario Front could not agree on who should be eligible to vote.

The mandate expired after Russia vetoed a US-drafted resolution that would have extended the mission while presenting Morocco’s autonomy plan as the basis for negotiations. A competing Russian proposal to renew MINURSO without that shift failed to win the nine votes required for adoption. United Nations.

Morocco administers most of Western Sahara and says the territory should remain under Moroccan sovereignty with limited autonomy. The Algeria-backed Polisario Front seeks independence and argues that Sahrawis retain a right to self-determination. Morocco welcomed the mission’s closure, while Polisario and Algeria condemned the Council’s failure to renew it.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the security situation could deteriorate and urged all sides to exercise restraint. The ceasefire linked to MINURSO broke down in 2020, and the territory has since experienced low-intensity hostilities. Reuters.

The closure removes the UN’s long-standing field presence at a time of renewed tension between Morocco and Algeria. It also leaves the promised referendum unrealized and shifts attention to whether diplomatic negotiations can continue without the mission’s monitoring role. Associated Press.