UN Peacekeeping Mission in Western Sahara Ends After 35 Years as Security Council Deadlocks

UNITED NATIONS — One of the United Nations' oldest peacekeeping missions has officially come to an end. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced on Sunday (1/11/2026) that the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) would enter liquidation after the Security Council failed to reach agreement on renewing its mandate.

The immediate cause was a standoff between the United States and Russia. Russia vetoed a draft resolution tabled by the United States — a draft reflecting Morocco's sovereignty plan over the disputed territory. In response, the Security Council rejected the counter-draft resolution proposed by Russia. Without a new resolution, MINURSO's mandate expired with no replacement.

As of 1 November 2026, the mission entered a "liquidation phase": mission assets are being returned to troop-contributing countries, and personnel are being withdrawn gradually.

## 35 Years Without a Referendum

MINURSO was established in 1991 with two core mandates: monitoring the ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario Front, and preparing a self-determination referendum for the people of Western Sahara. The referendum — the mission's very reason for existing — never took place because the two sides never agreed on voter eligibility criteria.

A year earlier, in 2025, the Security Council had adopted the US-drafted resolution accepting Morocco's autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty as the "most feasible" solution to the dispute. That decision strengthened Rabat's position but was rejected by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front.

Reactions to the mission's end split exactly along the dispute's fault lines. Morocco welcomed the development. The Polisario Front expressed deep concern, while Algeria expressed regret. Guterres himself warned that the risk of renewed fighting in the territory is rising without the presence of peacekeepers.

## Mission Scale and a Mirror of Council Paralysis

MINURSO was authorized for a strength of up to 534 personnel. Over its 35 years of operation, 20 personnel died in the line of duty. The mission's budget for the 2026–2027 period stood at more than US$62 million. The largest military contributors include Egypt, Ghana, and Pakistan.

The end of MINURSO is the starkest mirror of Security Council paralysis in the era of great-power rivalry. When Washington and Moscow trade vetoes, a multilateral peacekeeping mechanism built over decades can collapse in a single vote.

For the region, the stakes are real: without a UN buffer zone, escalation between Morocco, the Polisario Front, and Algeria is a scenario many observers take seriously. For the UN, it is a bitter reminder that peacekeeping mandates are only as strong as the political will of the Security Council's permanent members to uphold them.