UN mission in Western Sahara closes after Security Council deadlock
Russia vetoed a US proposal, and a competing Russian resolution failed, leaving the peacekeeping operation without a renewed mandate after 35 years.
The UN peacekeeping operation in Western Sahara has stopped operating after 35 years following a US-Russia dispute over its mandate. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the mission entered liquidation on 1 November 2026, with a reduced team overseeing the return of national contingents’ assets and disposal of UN equipment.
Russia blocked a US draft at the Security Council that would have backed Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory and closed the mission next year. A separate Russian proposal to prolong the operation also failed, leaving its mandate to expire.
Morocco’s royal palace welcomed the outcome, saying the mission had served to internationalize the dispute. The Algeria-backed Polisario Front rejected the decision. Algeria’s foreign ministry expressed regret and accused the US proposal of excessive bias.
Morocco controls almost all of Western Sahara, which the UN designates a non-self-governing territory. The Polisario Front seeks independence for the Indigenous Sahrawi people and operates from refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria.
Created in 1991 following a UN-mediated ceasefire, the mission, known as MINURSO, was intended to support a referendum on self-determination. That vote never took place amid disagreements over voter eligibility. Twenty mission personnel died during its deployment.
Dujarric said the UN secretary-general remained concerned about security and possible escalation, and urged restraint and respect for Sahrawi rights. The UN said the territory had experienced tensions and low-intensity fighting since the Polisario withdrew from the ceasefire in 2020.
