{"id":1306,"date":"2026-11-08T12:54:20","date_gmt":"2026-11-08T07:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenoviq.cloud\/blog\/?p=1306"},"modified":"2026-11-08T12:54:20","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T07:24:20","slug":"minurso-western-sahara-mission-ends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thenoviq.cloud\/blog\/minurso-western-sahara-mission-ends\/","title":{"rendered":"MINURSO ends after 35 years as UN Security Council fails to renew Western Sahara mission"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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File image: MINURSO headquarters in El Aaiun (Laayoune), Western Sahara.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Image: cingularite, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>) · Source<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) expired at midnight on Saturday, 31 October 2026, after the UN Security Council failed to agree on extending it. On Sunday, 1 November 2026, UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres said in a statement delivered by his Spokesperson that the UN remains committed to a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The end of one of the UN’s longest-running peacekeeping missions is a significant development for international relations and UN peacekeeping.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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What happened?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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On Friday, 30 October 2026, the Security Council could not agree on MINURSO’s future. A draft resolution put forward by the United States was vetoed by Russia. A rival Russian text, which proposed a one-year extension of the mandate to 31 October 2027, did not get the nine votes needed for adoption in the 15-member Council.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Secretary-General’s statement said that the mission’s departure does not take away the people’s right to self-determination, and asked all parties to respect and promote the rights of the people of Western Sahara. He also said he remains concerned about the security situation and the risk of hostilities escalating, and urged all concerned to exercise maximum restraint.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The UN will continue to work towards a peaceful resolution through the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Background and context<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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MINURSO was established in 1991 under Security Council resolution 690 (1991). It followed settlement proposals of the UN and the Organization of African Unity that Morocco and the Frente POLISARIO accepted in 1988. These proposals provided for a referendum in which the people of Western Sahara would choose between independence and integration with Morocco.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The referendum never took place, but MINURSO continued the tasks given to it by the Council, including helping to monitor the ceasefire. Hostilities resumed in 2020. In 2007, Morocco put forward an Autonomy Proposal as a basis for negotiations, which envisages the territory as self-governing under Moroccan sovereignty.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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MINURSO at the end of its mandate<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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