Morocco has welcomed the termination of the 35-year UN peacekeeping mission (Minurso) in Western Sahara after a US-Russia veto deadlock in the Security Council allowed its mandate to expire on October 31, 2026. While King Mohammed VI pledged that Morocco will voluntarily maintain the region's ceasefire, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and international analysts warn that removing peacekeepers from the buffer zone significantly heightens the risk of conflict escalation between Morocco and Algeria.
UN Security Council voting on Minurso mandate
- ▪On October 30, 2026, Russia vetoed a US-backed UN Security Council proposal that would have extended Minurso for one year while framing Morocco's autonomy plan as the sole basis for negotiations
- ▪The United Nations Security Council failed to renew the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (Minurso), ending the 35-year peacekeeping mission on October 31, 2026
- ▪A rival Russian draft resolution to extend Minurso's mandate for one year without changing the mandate's original terms failed to pass the UN Security Council, receiving only two votes in favor
- ▪Polisario Front representative Sidi Omar thanked Russia for vetoing the US-backed UN Security Council resolution on Western Sahara, stating the proposal threatened the UN peace process
Liquidation and withdrawal of Minurso peacekeepers
- ▪Moroccan King Mohammed VI directed the interior ministry to coordinate and support the liquidation and withdrawal of Minurso peacekeepers from Western Sahara
- ▪The UN announced on November 1, 2026 that Minurso, the UN's Western Sahara peacekeeping mission, entered a liquidation period with a reduced team overseeing the transfer of military equipment and assets out of Western Sahara
Historical context of Western Sahara conflict
- ▪Morocco built a 2,700-kilometer security wall in the 1980s, securing control over Western Sahara's urban centers and coastline while Polisario operates east of the 2,700-kilometer wall and in Tindouf, Algeria
- ▪Morocco organized the Green March on November 6, 1975, sending 350,000 civilians into Western Sahara to pressure Spain before Spain signed the Madrid Accords ceding administrative control
Reactions and ceasefire commitments after withdrawal
- ▪The Royal Palace of Morocco announced on November 4, 2026 that Morocco will voluntarily maintain the ceasefire in Western Sahara following a meeting led by King Mohammed VI
- ▪Polisario Front adviser Oubi Bouchraya Bachir stated Polisario will exercise restraint in the field while continuing to pursue Sahrawi self-determination diplomatically and militarily
- ▪UN Secretary-General António Guterres and aid group Oxfam warned that the withdrawal of peacekeepers from the UN's Western Sahara mission, Minurso, increases the risk of escalation and renewed hostilities in Western Sahara
Minurso establishment and operations
- ▪Minurso, the UN's Western Sahara peacekeeping mission, deployed 155 military personnel and had an expected budget of $62 million for the financial year beginning June 2026
- ▪The United Nations established Minurso in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire in Western Sahara and organize a referendum on Western Sahara's self-determination following fighting that left at least 9,000 people dead
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