The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) ended peacekeeping work Nov. 1 after the Security Council failed to renew its mandate, shifting the 35-year operation into liquidation.
U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said a smaller team reporting to the U.N. Department of Operational Support will manage the process. Its duties include arranging the return of property to countries that contributed troops and disposing of equipment owned by the United Nations.
The Council’s 2025 renewal extended MINURSO through Oct. 31, 2026. On Oct. 30, Russia vetoed a U.S. draft to renew the mission. A separate Russian proposal received three votes in favor, one against from the United States and 11 abstentions, short of the votes needed for adoption, as detailed in EconoTimes’ account of the mandate vote.
The Council established MINURSO under Resolution 690 on April 29, 1991, to support a settlement framework that included a referendum on self-determination. U.N. records document longstanding disputes over voter eligibility, and the referendum has never taken place. Western Sahara remains on the United Nations’ list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, where it has appeared since 1963. Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front both claim the territory.
A U.N. budget document proposed $62.7 million for MINURSO from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. That was a proposed budget, not a final expenditure.
The Associated Press reported that Morocco’s Royal Palace welcomed the mandate’s lapse, while the Polisario Front objected and Algeria expressed regret.
Guterres honored the 20 MINURSO personnel who died over the mission’s 35-year history. He said the United Nations remained ready to support dialogue through his Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura. Guterres also voiced concern about security and the risk of escalation, and urged all concerned to show restraint.
