Julian Harston, the former head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO), has expressed support for the end of the mission, echoing remarks by Moroccan Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita. Harston and Bourita argue that MINURSO's continued presence no longer reflects the reality on the ground. The UN Security Council failed to adopt a resolution extending the mission's mandate after Russia vetoed a US-drafted resolution.
The Russian veto targeted a US-drafted resolution that sought to rename MINURSO to MINUSO, removing the "R" that refers to the referendum and reflects Algeria's outdated narrative surrounding the dispute. Algeria, a close ally of Russia and sponsor of the Polisario Front's independence claims, had hoped the veto would advance its separatist agenda for Morocco's southern provinces. The US also vetoed a Russian alternative resolution that sought only to extend the mission's mandate.
As a result of the Security Council's failure to adopt either resolution, MINURSO's mandate expired on October 31. Bourita emphasized that the mission's presence and its reference to a referendum no longer reflected the reality on the ground, as the UN-led political process now aligns with Morocco's Autonomy Plan. This plan is seen as the sole genuine political basis for resolving the dispute. Bourita questioned how the international community could maintain two realities simultaneously.
Harston described MINURSO as "anachronistic," stating that the mission "belongs to a different time." He stressed that almost all requirements of the original mandate are no longer relevant, and there was never a possibility of a referendum. Drawing on his experience leading MINURSO from 2007 to 2009, Harston recalled violations of the ceasefire by the Polisario Front and Algeria's regime.
Harston accused Algeria's regime of opposing the growing momentum behind the autonomy path while holding thousands of Sahrawis hostage. He lamented the Algerian regime's paradoxical position, supporting the Polisario Front financially and logistically while rejecting its responsibility in the dispute. Harston concluded that autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only viable solution to the Western Sahara question.
The Autonomy Plan is supported by over 135 countries, which consider it either the only or most feasible political solution to the dispute. Harston further accused Algeria of obstructing UN efforts to reach a genuine and sustainable political resolution while continuing to lecture the international community about human rights. Algeria funds and sustains Polisario's open-air prisons in Tindouf, according to Harston.
The former MINURSO chief emphasized that the international community supports the Autonomy Plan, and the UN should do the same. The end of MINURSO's mandate marks a significant shift in the Western Sahara dispute, with Morocco's Autonomy Plan gaining momentum as the preferred solution. The international community will likely need to adapt to this new reality in the region.
Key points
- Autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only viable solution to the Western Sahara question.
- The UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO) has ended due to the failure of the Security Council to adopt a resolution extending its mandate.
- Algeria's regime is accused of obstructing UN efforts to reach a genuine and sustainable political resolution in Western Sahara.
