Western Sahara: MINURSO lapses after a Russian veto
· BehindLines newsroom
MINURSO, the UN mission that had monitored the truce in Western Sahara since 1991, ceased its activities on Sunday 1 November. With the Security Council unable to reach agreement, its mandate was not extended. According to Al Jazeera, UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said the secretary-general remains concerned about the security situation throughout the territory; the Associated Press adds that he mentions a risk of escalation of hostilities.
A veto, then a second rejection
According to Al Jazeera, the United States put forward a draft that would have renewed the mission for a year, removed the word "referendum" from its name and made the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco the sole basis for future negotiations. Eleven of the Council's fifteen members, including France and the United Kingdom, backed it, but Russia vetoed it. The Associated Press describes the text differently: it would have backed Morocco's claim to sovereignty. A rival text submitted by Moscow, which would have extended the mission, was then voted down; with no new mandate, the force stopped of its own accord.
According to Al Jazeera, Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia stressed that the Council cannot predetermine questions of sovereignty. Also according to Al Jazeera, his American counterpart Mike Waltz called it "truly unfortunate" that a veto was being used, in his view, to preserve the letter "R" in the acronym, and judged the status quo unacceptable.
Opposing reactions
According to Al Jazeera, the Moroccan royal palace sees the non-renewal as a significant development; the Associated Press reports that it described the mission as an "instrument to internationalize" the dispute. Also according to the Associated Press, the Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, calls the decision "unacceptable"; Al Jazeera instead quotes it as "concerned at the deadlock" in the Council. Algiers expresses deep regret and denounces the United States' "excessive bias" toward Morocco.
What changes on the ground
According to the Associated Press, Stéphane Dujarric says that 1 November opens a liquidation period: a smaller team, under the Department of Operational Support, is organizing the return of the contributing countries' assets and the disposal of UN equipment. Also according to the Associated Press, the mission had up to 534 authorized personnel, had a budget of more than 62 million dollars for 2026-2027, and twenty of its members died in service. Egypt, Ghana and Pakistan supplied the most troops.
Born at the same time as the truce, MINURSO was meant to prepare a self-determination vote that never took place, as the two sides could not agree on the voter list. Spain withdrew from the territory in 1975, and Morocco has claimed it since; according to the Associated Press, Rabat now administers nearly all of it, apart from an area east of the sand wall. The Polisario withdrew from the ceasefire in 2020. Rabat and Algiers broke off diplomatic relations in 2021, and the Associated Press stresses that the departure of the peacekeepers risks worsening this regional rivalry further. The UN says it remains available to support dialogue.