The United Nations peacekeeping operation in Western Sahara has ended after 35 years, following a failure by the Security Council to renew its mandate. UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced the conclusion of the long-running deployment, initiating an immediate unwinding of operations across the disputed territory. The mission's dissolution leaves the region without international observers for the first time since the early post-colonial era.
The termination of the mandate followed a diplomatic stalemate at UN headquarters in New York between the United States and Russia. The collapse occurred a year after the Security Council adopted a US-drafted resolution accepting Rabat's plan to grant the territory autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as the "most feasible" path toward resolving the conflict.
Tensions peaked on Friday when Russia vetoed a new US-backed resolution intended to cement the preference for Morocco's autonomy plan while scaling back the peacekeeping force over time. The Security Council subsequently voted down a competing Russian draft resolution that sought to extend the existing mandate without those political conditions, leaving the mission without authorization to continue.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed the transition process in an official statement. "This 1 November 2026 marks the start of the liquidation period," Dujarric said. "A smaller team reporting to the United Nations' Department of Operational Support will oversee the orderly transportation of assets belonging to troop-contributing countries to their respective nations, and the appropriate disposal of equipment belonging to the United Nations."
Reactions to the Security Council's failure to extend the mission reflected deep geopolitical divisions surrounding the territory. Morocco welcomed the outcome, seeing the shift as alignment with its territorial claims. A spokesperson for the Moroccan royal palace characterized the non-renewal as a "significant development" toward withdrawing the Western Sahara issue from consideration by the Security Council.
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita told state media that the mission's original mandate regarding a referendum was an "anachronism." Bourita noted that while Rabat had been informed of Russia's intent to block the US draft, the kingdom viewed the standoff as "an opportunity to review certain rules of the game." Conversely, opponents of Moroccan control expressed sharp dissatisfaction with the outcome.
Algeria's Foreign Ministry voiced "deep regret" over the non-renewal, citing the "excessive bias" of the United States toward Rabat's position. The Algeria-backed Polisario Front called the outcome "an unacceptable decision" and stated that it was "concerned at the deadlock in the Security Council meeting." Western Sahara remains one of the world's most enduring territorial disputes.
Key points
- The UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ended due to a diplomatic stalemate between the US and Russia.
- Morocco welcomed the outcome, seeing it as alignment with its territorial claims.
- The dissolution leaves the region without international observers for the first time since the early post-colonial era.
