In brief
In Western Sahara, the United Nations concluded its long‑running peacekeeping mission after the Security Council could not agree on a renewal. Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres warned that the security situation could worsen, urging restraint from all parties. The dispute over the mission’s mandate, driven by competing U.S. and Russian proposals, left the conflict’s status quo intact.
In the disputed Western Sahara, the United Nations concluded its 35‑year peacekeeping mission, a move that has drawn attention from Moroccans and Sahrawi activists alike. The mission, known as MINURSO, had been tasked with monitoring a ceasefire and preparing a referendum on the territory’s future. The United Nations Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday that the expiry of the mission could lead to a worsening of the security situation throughout the territory and a risk of hostilities escalating.
Minister Stephane Dujarric, Guterres’s spokesperson, echoed these concerns in a statement, saying the UN remains open to supporting dialogue while urging all parties to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from actions that could further inflame tensions.
MINURSO’s operations ended after the UN Security Council failed to renew its mandate. The council’s decision came after a disagreement between the United States and Russia over proposed resolutions. Washington had drafted a resolution that would have extended the mission for a year, removed the word “referendum” from its name, and based future talks solely on Morocco’s autonomy plan. Moscow vetoed the proposal, securing support from 11 of the 15 council members, including France and the United Kingdom.
Diplomatic Stalemate
The failed resolution left the mission to expire without a new mandate. Morocco’s royal palace described the non‑renewal as a step toward removing the Western Sahara issue from the UN Security Council. Algeria’s foreign ministry expressed deep regret over the veto, accusing the United States of bias toward Morocco. The Polisario Front, which is backed by Algeria and seeks an independent Sahrawi republic, expressed concern about the deadlock, while the United States highlighted efforts to keep the peaceholding operation on track.
With the liquidation phase underway, MINURSO’s assets are being transported back to troop‑contributing countries. The UN has stated that it remains prepared to support efforts to advance dialogue and pursue a peaceful resolution of the conflict, even as the region faces an uncertain security environment.
“While MINURSO’s peacekeeping operations have concluded, the United Nations stands ready to continue supporting efforts to advance dialogue and pursue a peaceful resolution of the conflict,” Guterres said on Sunday.
Guterres’s comments underscore a cautious stance amid the regional stalemate, as the United Nations signals readiness to back diplomatic solutions while warning that the volatility of Western Sahara could rise in the absence of a peacekeeping presence.
