Summary
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that hostilities could escalate in Western Sahara after the Security Council failed to renew MINURSO, the UN peacekeeping mission established in 1991. The mission entered its liquidation phase on November 1, as the United States, Russia, Morocco, Algeria and the Polisario Front expressed differing views on the failed renewal and the territory’s future.Key Facts
- The Security Council did not renew MINURSO’s mandate, which expired after 35 years.
- Guterres urged all parties to exercise restraint and avoid actions that could raise tensions or threaten regional stability.
- MINURSO was established in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire and prepare a referendum on Western Sahara’s future.
- The United States proposed a one-year extension and a framework for talks based on Morocco’s autonomy proposal; Russia vetoed the draft.
- A competing Russian resolution was also defeated, leaving the mission without a new mandate.
- Morocco claims Western Sahara, while the Algeria-backed Polisario Front seeks an independent Sahrawi state.
- Algeria expressed regret over the mission’s non-renewal, and the Polisario Front voiced concern about the Security Council deadlock.
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