UN peacekeeping mission leaves Western Sahara after mandate expires

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara began its withdrawal on Sunday after the Security Council failed to renew its mandate, ending 35 years of operations in the disputed territory. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the security situation remained concerning and that the risk of hostilities escalating had increased. The Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, known as MINURSO, was established in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire and prepare a vote on the territory’s future.

That referendum never took place. The mission has now entered a “liquidation phase”, during which equipment and assets will be returned to contributing countries or disposed of under UN supervision. The mandate expired after a dispute between the United States and Russia at the Security Council.

A US-backed resolution would have extended the mission for a year while removing “referendum” from its name and making Morocco’s autonomy proposal the basis for further negotiations. Russia vetoed the measure, saying it favored one side. A competing Russian resolution to extend the mission was then defeated, leaving MINURSO without a new mandate.

The US proposal received support from 11 of the council’s 15 members, including France and the United Kingdom, but the Russian veto prevented its adoption. Washington’s UN ambassador, Mike Waltz, said it was unfortunate that the veto had been used to preserve the word “referendum” in the mission’s name. Russia’s ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, argued that the Security Council could not predetermine questions of sovereignty.

Morocco welcomed the mission’s non-renewal, describing it as a significant step toward removing the dispute from Security Council consideration. France 24 reported that Rabat viewed MINURSO as an instrument that had internationalized the issue. Morocco administers most of Western Sahara and calls the territory its southern provinces.

The Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks an independent Sahrawi Republic, called the decision unacceptable and expressed concern about the Security Council deadlock. Algeria’s Foreign Ministry said it deeply regretted the outcome and criticized what it called excessive US bias toward Morocco’s position. Western Sahara has been contested since Spain withdrew in 1975.

Morocco claims sovereignty over the territory, while the Polisario Front says it represents the Indigenous Sahrawi people. The UN classifies Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory. The region is a large Atlantic desert area with mineral and fisheries resources and is roughly the size of Britain, according to Al Jazeera, or Colorado, according to France 24.

A ceasefire took effect in 1991 alongside the creation of MINURSO, but the Polisario withdrew from the ceasefire in 2020 after clashes. The area has since seen tensions and low-intensity hostilities. The mission was authorized to have 534 personnel, and France 24 reported that 20 MINURSO personnel had died during its existence.

Guterres urged Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria and Mauritania to exercise maximum restraint and avoid actions that could damage regional stability. He said the UN remained ready to support dialogue and a peaceful settlement, but the supplied reports offered no indication that the parties had agreed on a new mechanism to replace the mission.