In this article
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara has ended after 35 years, after the UN Security Council failed to renew its mandate.
The mission, known as MINURSO, ceased operations when its mandate expired at midnight on Saturday, October 31, the UN said.
How it happened
Russia vetoed a US-drafted resolution on Friday, a day before the mandate was due to expire. The US draft would have turned MINURSO into a political support mission, renamed it and dropped the word "referendum" from its name and purpose. One account said it would also have made Morocco's autonomy plan the only basis for negotiations. A Russian proposal to simply renew the existing mission also failed.
What MINURSO did
The mission was set up in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario Front, an independence movement backed by Algeria, and to organise a referendum on the territory's future. That vote never took place. In its final year the mission had 155 military personnel and a budget of about $62m. UN Secretary-General António Guterres paid tribute to the 20 MINURSO personnel who died while serving there.
The dispute
Western Sahara, a sparsely populated stretch of desert on Africa's Atlantic coast, was a Spanish colony until 1975. Morocco controls most of the territory and considers it part of the kingdom. The Polisario Front wants independence for the Sahrawi people. A growing number of countries, including the United States, France and Spain, have backed Morocco's plan for autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty.
Reactions
Morocco welcomed the outcome. Its royal palace said the mission's presence in what it calls the kingdom's "Southern provinces" was expected to end in the coming days. Algeria expressed regret. Aid groups warned that the end of the mission could lead to an escalation.
Guterres said the UN remained committed to a just and lasting solution and stressed that the end of MINURSO "does not negate the inalienable right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination".
It is unclear how, or whether, the Security Council will take up the issue again.
Sources and references
- 1.Western Sahara: UN 'stands ready' to keep supporting peace efforts as MINURSO mission ends — UN NewsPrimary source
- 2.Why is Morocco celebrating the defeat of a UN resolution on Western Sahara? — Al Jazeera
- 3.What Does the End of MINURSO Mean for the Future of Western Sahara? — Asharq Al-Awsat
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