UNITED NATIONS.- The United Nations confirmed on Sunday that its 35-year-old peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara has come to an end, after the Security Council failed to renew its mandate and November 1 marked the start of a "liquidation phase" for the mission known as MINURSO.
Secretary-General António Guterres said a reduced team reporting to the UN Department of Operational Support will oversee the orderly withdrawal and disposal of mission assets, with equipment returned to troop-contributing countries. He warned of a potential escalation of hostilities in the disputed territory and urged all parties to cooperate so the withdrawal proceeds in an orderly way and as quickly as possible, while reaffirming what he called the "inalienable" right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination.
MINURSO was created in 1991 under Security Council Resolution 690 to monitor a ceasefire and organize a referendum on the territory's future. That referendum has never taken place, largely because of disagreements over voter eligibility. The mission was headquartered in Laayoune and operated 11 team sites across the territory and in the Tindouf camps.
The mandate expired at midnight on Saturday after Friday's Security Council deadlock. A United States draft resolution, supported by 11 of the 15 council members including France and the United Kingdom, would have extended the mission for a year, removed "referendum" from its name and made Morocco's autonomy proposal the only basis for further talks. Russia vetoed it. A competing Russian proposal to extend the existing mandate for another year received only three votes in favor and 11 abstentions, falling short of the nine votes required, and was defeated.
Morocco controls about 80% of the territory, while the Polisario Front seeks independence. The ceasefire between the two sides broke down in 2020, and the Polisario's UN delegate, Sidi Mohamed Omar, said self-determination remains "a red line that is not negotiable." Guterres stressed that the end of peacekeeping operations does not end the UN's diplomatic involvement, and that the efforts of his Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, toward a political settlement will continue.
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Sources: Reuters, November 1, 2026; Al Jazeera, November 1, 2026; El País, November 1, 2026; Hespress, November 1, 2026.