Western Sahara peacekeeping mandate crisis stories

Nov 3, 2026

Morocco celebrates end of UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara

Morocco welcomed the conclusion of the decades-long UN peacekeeping mission (MINURSO) in Western Sahara after a US-Russia diplomatic standoff prevented the mission's renewal, while pledging to maintain the ceasefire.

Nov 3, 20267 sources

Oct 29, 2026

Russia and US veto rival UN resolutions on Western Sahara, leaving peacekeeping mission without mandate

Russia vetoed a US-drafted resolution supporting Morocco's sovereignty claim over Western Sahara, while the US vetoed a Russian counter-resolution, leaving the UN's 35-year peacekeeping mission without a renewed mandate just before its expiration.

Oct 29, 20266 sources

Top claims

▪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
▪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
▪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

People involved

Mohammed VI António Guterres

Subtopics

Africa2 Peacekeeping2 Self-determination2 Territorial disputes2 United Nations2 Wars & conflicts2 Armed conflict1 Ceasefire proposals & violations1 World affairs1

Related timelines