Competing proposals fail
Neither of the proposals put before the Security Council on October 30 secured approval. Russia vetoed a US draft that backed Morocco's sovereignty claim and proposed ending the peacekeeping operation in 2027. A Russian proposal to extend the mission also failed, leaving MINURSO without authorization to continue.
RFI reported that the US draft would have extended the mandate through April 30, 2027, reduced the military component and made Morocco's autonomy plan central to settlement efforts. It also proposed changing the mission's name to MINUSO, removing the "R" for referendum.
According to UN Meetings Coverage, the US draft, S/2026/868, drew 11 votes in favor and three abstentions but was blocked by Russia's veto. The Russian draft, S/2026/870, proposed an extension through October 31, 2027. China, Somalia and Russia voted for it, the United States voted against it, and 11 members abstained. With only three supporters, it fell short of the nine votes required.
The dispute followed an earlier shift in the council's position. Resolution 2797, adopted on October 31, 2025, endorsed Morocco's autonomy proposal as the basis for negotiations and renewed MINURSO through October 31, 2026.
Closing a mission established in 1991
MINURSO's original tasks were to oversee the ceasefire between Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front and arrange a self-determination referendum. The mission was established in 1991, but disputes about who could vote kept the referendum from taking place for years.
The liquidation phase leaves a smaller team under the UN Department of Operational Support responsible for disposing of UN equipment and returning assets to countries that contributed troops, according to UN News and Reuters.
At the end of its mandate, MINURSO operated from headquarters in Laayoune, with a liaison office in Tindouf and nine team sites: four west of the berm and five east. UN News put its strength at about 160 military observers and around 180 civilian and affiliated personnel, alongside a dedicated mine action capability. Twenty mission personnel died over its 35 years.
A separate UN report cited by Al Jazeera listed 155 military personnel and a projected cost of $62 million for the fiscal year beginning in June 2026.
Morocco welcomes closure as UN warns of escalation
Morocco welcomed the mission's end, describing it as an "instrument to internationalize the dispute." The Polisario Front called the move "unacceptable."
King Mohammed VI declared the MINURSO chapter closed after 35 years in a statement issued by Morocco's Royal Cabinet. He also called for Western Sahara to be removed entirely and permanently from the Security Council's agenda, Asharq Al-Awsat reported.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres raised concerns on November 1 about security across the territory and the possibility of escalating hostilities. He urged maximum restraint by all parties and said the mission's departure "does not abrogate" the people's "inalienable right to self-determination."
Oxfam also warned about the loss of the mission's role. Its "monitoring and de-escalation functions risks undermining security and stability," the aid organization said, according to Al Jazeera.
Despite the end of peacekeeping operations, the UN said its efforts to reach a peaceful resolution would continue through Staffan de Mistura, the secretary-general's personal envoy for Western Sahara.
