Guterres says MINURSO has entered liquidation. Equipment belonging to troop-contributing countries is to be returned, while UN property is to be disposed of or transferred.
The UN’s Western Sahara peacekeeping mission has ceased operations after Russia vetoed a US renewal proposal and a competing Russian draft also failed at the Security Council. Its mandate expired on 31 October 2026, and liquidation—the process of closing the mission—began on 1 November 2026.
On 2 November, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the organization plans to repatriate about 160 military observers and close 13 facilities and team sites. Around 180 civilian and affiliated personnel will also leave.
The mission, known as MINURSO, was established in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire and prepare a vote in which Western Sahara’s people would choose between independence and integration with Morocco. The vote never took place. After the ceasefire broke down in 2020, the mission observed military activity, investigated conflict-related incidents and helped reduce tensions. It also worked to reduce the threat from explosive remnants and supported UN diplomacy.
A smaller team reporting to the UN Department of Operational Support will oversee the phased closure and handover of sites. The UN will retain administrative, financial and security oversight and protect personnel throughout the process; the remaining team’s work is to close the mission, not continue peacekeeping.
The team will arrange the return of equipment belonging to countries that contributed troops. UN property and equipment will be disposed of or transferred, communications and logistics systems dismantled, records archived and local contracts closed.
Morocco has considered Western Sahara its territory since Spain withdrew in 1975. The Algeria-backed Polisario Front seeks an independent state and a UN-supervised vote on self-determination.
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Al Jazeera said the US draft would have extended the mission for a year, removed “referendum” from its name and made Morocco’s autonomy proposal the sole basis for further talks. That proposal would leave Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty while allowing it to manage internal affairs. Russia said the US draft favored one side and proposed renewing the existing mission without those changes, but its draft also failed.
Morocco’s royal palace welcomed the non-renewal and said the issue should be withdrawn from the Security Council’s consideration. Morocco’s foreign minister said the country would cooperate and provide time, means and logistics for the withdrawal. Algeria’s Foreign Ministry expressed regret and criticized what it called the US proposal’s bias toward Morocco. The Polisario Front welcomed Russia’s veto, saying the US proposal would undermine Sahrawi self-determination, but expressed concern over the failure to renew the mission.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern about security across the territory and the risk of escalating hostilities. He called for restraint and cooperation with the closure. Dujarric said the mission’s departure does not remove Western Sahara’s people’s right to self-determination.
The UN says it remains available to support dialogue and a peaceful settlement through Guterres’s personal envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura.
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