UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ends

The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, known as Minurso, has entered a liquidation period. Its mandate expired on October 31 after the UN Security Council failed to agree on its future. The mission’s 155 military personnel will remain briefly to transfer equipment and assets before departing the territory.

The impasse resulted from a diplomatic clash between the United States and Russia. The US drafted a proposal to extend the mandate for one year while removing the word "referendum" from the mission's name. This change would have made Morocco's autonomy plan the sole basis for negotiations. Eleven of the council's 15 members supported the draft, but Russia vetoed it on Friday. A rival Russian draft to extend the mission without changes received only two votes in favor.

Western Sahara has been the subject of a territorial dispute since 1975. Spain transferred administrative control to Morocco and Mauritania under the Madrid Accords. Morocco took the northern two-thirds, while Mauritania took the south. Mauritania renounced its claim in 1979, but the Polisario Front continued fighting for independence. The parties agreed to a ceasefire in 1991, and the UN established Minurso to monitor the truce and organize a referendum. The vote was scheduled for 1992 but never occurred because the sides could not agree on voter eligibility.

Morocco has welcomed the end of the mission. In Laayoune, the territory's largest city, residents waved flags and displayed portraits of King Mohammed VI. House of Representatives Speaker Ahmed Touizi addressed a special joint session of parliament on Monday. He called the outcome a victory for the country's diplomacy. He said Morocco should now move from managing the dispute to implementing its autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty.

The Polisario Front condemned the US proposal. Representative Sidi Omar thanked Russia for the veto. He argued the draft would "torpedo the foundations of the UN peace process." Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita stated that the end of the mission does not mean the end of the ceasefire. Rabat remains committed to the truce while respecting its security and sovereignty.

The mission's departure raises concerns about regional stability. Oxfam warned that losing the UN's monitoring role could undermine stability for civilians. Issam Laaroussi, a Moroccan expert in international relations, said the move gives Rabat more room to push its autonomy proposal. He noted that the decision does not change the territory's legal status or amount to international recognition of sovereignty.

Algeria supports the Polisario Front and has hosted Sahrawi refugees in camps near Tindouf. Tensions between the two North African neighbors remain high. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported that both countries increased military spending last year. Algeria spent an estimated $25.4 billion, which is more than four times Morocco's $6.3 billion.