UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ends after 35 years and $62 million budget
A Security Council deadlock between the U.S. and Russia abruptly terminated the mandate for the force that has monitored the disputed territory since 1991.
By Elijah Fitzgerald ·
The United Nations ceased operations of its peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara on Sunday, ending a 35-year presence in the disputed territory. The abrupt conclusion resulted from a stalemate in the U.N. Security Council, where the United States and Russia failed to agree on the region's future status. This halt leaves a vast desert area along Africa's northwestern Atlantic coast without its primary international monitoring force.
The conflict over the territory, which is roughly the size of Colorado and rich in minerals and fisheries, dates back to 1975. After Spain handed over the region, Morocco annexed it, sparking an armed conflict that lasted more than 15 years. According to the French Senate, the war claimed more than 16,000 lives on both sides. Morocco currently administers nearly all of the land, while the pro-independence Polisario Front controls a narrow strip east of a Moroccan-built sand wall.
The mission, known as MINURSO, was established in 1991 following a U.N.-brokered cease-fire. Its original mandate was to organize a referendum on self-determination, a vote that never took place due to disagreements over voter eligibility. Morocco wanted to include Sahrawis living in the areas it controls, while the Polisario Front insisted on using Spain's colonial census to ensure the outcome favored independence. The force was repeatedly extended over the decades but has now been wound down.
The final week in the Security Council featured two competing resolutions. On Friday, Russia vetoed a U.S. draft that would have supported Morocco's sovereignty and ended the mission next year. Subsequently, a rival Russian resolution to extend the mission was voted down. This procedural failure led to the immediate expiration of the force's mandate. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the U.N. secretary general, stated that November 1, 2026, marks the start of the liquidation period.
A smaller team reporting to the United Nations' Department of Operational Support will now oversee the movement of assets. This group is responsible for transporting equipment belonging to troop-contributing countries back to their home nations and disposing of U.N. property. The force had an authorized personnel count of 534, with Egypt, Ghana, and Pakistan serving as the top military contributors. The mission's budget for the 2026-2027 period exceeded $62 million.
Reactions to the decision split along geopolitical lines. Morocco's royal palace welcomed the non-renewal, describing the mission as an instrument to internationalize the dispute. Rabat has long viewed the territory as its southern provinces and has secured backing from Washington, Paris, and London. In contrast, the Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, called the decision unacceptable. The Algerian foreign ministry expressed profound regret and criticized what it termed the excessive bias of the U.S. draft resolution.
The end of the mission intensifies the rivalry between Morocco and Algeria, which severed diplomatic relations in 2021. Algiers hosts the Polisario Front in refugee camps in Tindouf and views full Moroccan sovereignty as a diplomatic defeat. The U.N. reported last month that the territory has seen tensions and low-intensity hostilities since the Polisario withdrew from the cease-fire in 2020. The U.N. secretary-general called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and promote the rights of the people of Western Sahara. Twenty MINURSO personnel lost their lives during the mission's operation.
