UN Ends 35-Year Western Sahara Mission, Warns of Escalation
“The Secretary-General remains concerned about the security situation throughout the Territory and the risk of escalation of hostilities,” spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. He urged all parties to exercise “maximum restraint and to refrain from actions that could further increase tensions or undermine regional stability.”
The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) formally stopped operations after the UN Security Council failed to extend its mandate beyond Oct. 31. A scaled-down team under the UN Department of Operational Support has begun a liquidation phase, returning equipment owned by troop-contributing countries and overseeing the disposal of UN-owned assets.
Self-determination and diplomacy
Guterres stressed that the peacekeepers’ exit does not weaken or erase the “inalienable right to self-determination” of the people of Western Sahara. He also paid tribute to Special Representative Alexander Ivanko and honored the 20 personnel who died during the mission. The force was created in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire between Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front.
Peacekeeping has ended, but political talks will go on under the UN chief’s personal envoy, Staffan de Mistura.
The shutdown came after Russia vetoed a US-drafted resolution on Friday that sought to renew the mandate. Eleven council members backed the text and three abstained.
The territory remains a pivotal issue in North African diplomacy. Morocco has offered broad autonomy under its sovereignty, while the Polisario Front continues to press for a referendum on self-determination, a stance backed by Algeria.
The dispute traces back to 1975, when Spain ended colonial rule. It grew into armed conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front until a ceasefire took hold in 1991.
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