The United Nations has begun winding down its mission in Western Sahara after the Security Council failed to renew its mandate, ending a 35-year presence in the disputed territory. The liquidation process began on 1 November, a day after the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) expired without agreement among the council’s permanent members.
UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said the process would focus on withdrawing equipment, transferring assets and settling the mission’s remaining administrative affairs.
A small team from the UN Department of Operational Support will oversee the operation, including returning equipment belonging to troop-contributing countries and disposing of UN-owned property.
Secretary-General António Guterres has urged all parties to co-operate to ensure an orderly withdrawal within the shortest possible time.
The decision follows a diplomatic deadlock at the Security Council on 30 October, when the United States and Russia vetoed rival proposals on the mission’s future.
The US-backed draft called for a one-year extension but proposed restructuring the mission and making Morocco’s autonomy plan under its sovereignty the basis for future negotiations. It received 11 votes in favour and three abstentions before Russia vetoed it.
Russia then proposed extending MINURSO’s mandate without major changes. That draft was rejected by a US veto.
With neither proposal adopted, the mission’s mandate expired at midnight on 31 October.
Established in 1991, MINURSO was tasked with monitoring the ceasefire and organising a referendum on self-determination for Western Sahara. The referendum never took place.
The mission was authorised to deploy up to 534 personnel and had a budget of more than $62m for the 2026-27 financial year. Its withdrawal involves the repatriation or disposal of hundreds of vehicles and other equipment.
The UN said the end of the mission’s operations would not mean an end to its diplomatic involvement in the conflict.
Guterres praised MINURSO’s work in monitoring the ceasefire and supporting efforts to find a political solution. He also thanked its staff, led by his Special Representative Alexander Ivanko, and paid tribute to the 20 personnel who died during the mission’s 35 years.
The withdrawal comes amid renewed tensions between Morocco and the Polisario Front, which declared the 1991 ceasefire over in November 2020 following clashes in the Guerguerat buffer zone.
The future of the Western Sahara dispute remains unresolved. Morocco considers the territory part of its sovereign land and proposes autonomy under its rule. The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, continues to demand self-determination, including the option of independence.
Guterres said the UN remained ready to support efforts to reach a just and lasting political settlement through his Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura.
