MINURSO's 35-Year Mission Ends in Western Sahara

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Key takeaways

The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) ended its 35-year mission after the UN Security Council failed to renew its mandate.
The mission was originally established in April 1991 under UNSC Resolution 690 (1991) to monitor a ceasefire and hold a self-determination referendum.
The mandate ended due to a diplomatic standoff and veto between the United States and Russia over Morocco's autonomy proposal.
Western Sahara remains on the UN list of Non-Self-Governing Territories while its legal status and right to self-determination remain unchanged.

The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) entered its liquidation phase after the UN Security Council (UNSC) failed to renew its mandate due to a US and Russia standoff, ending its 35-year peacekeeping presence.

MINURSO was established in April 1991 under UNSC Resolution 690 (1991) to implement a UN-brokered settlement plan between Morocco and the Polisario Front.
Its original mandate was to monitor the ceasefire and organise a referendum on self-determination, allowing a choice between independence and integration with Morocco.
The planned referendum never took place because both sides disagreed heavily over voter eligibility.
Hostilities resumed in November 2020 after the ceasefire broke down, but MINURSO continued monitoring the security situation and advocating for the cessation of hostilities.

Russia vetoed a US-backed draft resolution favouring Morocco's autonomy proposal, which also sought to rename MINURSO as the UN Mission in Western Sahara.
A competing Russian resolution to extend the mandate until October 2027 failed to secure the required votes, leaving the mission without a renewed mandate.
The termination of the mission does not change Western Sahara's disputed legal status or extinguish the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination, and UN-led diplomatic efforts may continue independently.

Western Sahara is a disputed territory in north-western Africa along the Atlantic Ocean, bordered by Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania.
It was formerly a Spanish colony, but Western Sahara witnessed Morocco's Green March in 1975 and Spain's formal withdrawal in 1976, after which the territorial dispute centred on Morocco and the Polisario Front.
Morocco claims sovereignty over Western Sahara and administers most of the territory, offering self-government under its 2007 autonomy proposal.
The Polisario Front is a pro-independence movement seeking an independent Sahrawi state, backed by Algeria and operating from refugee camps near Tindouf.
Western Sahara remains on the UN list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, while the African Union recognises the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).