Updated November 2, 2026: This article now includes Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita’s pledge that Morocco will guarantee an orderly withdrawal of MINURSO personnel and assets.
The United Nations began the liquidation of its peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, MINURSO, on Sunday, one day after the mission’s mandate expired at midnight following the Security Council’s failure to agree on its future.
In a statement delivered by his spokesperson, Secretary-General António Guterres said a smaller team reporting to the UN Department of Operational Support will oversee the orderly transportation of assets belonging to troop-contributing countries back to their nations and the disposal of UN-owned equipment. He called on all parties to the dispute to cooperate fully so the process is completed in an orderly manner as soon as possible.
Guterres said the mission’s departure “does not abrogate” the “inalienable right to self-determination” of the people of Western Sahara, and called on all parties to respect and promote their rights. The UN, he said, remains committed to supporting a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, and will keep working toward one through his Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura.
The Secretary-General paid tribute to MINURSO’s personnel, including his Special Representative Alexander Ivanko, and to the 20 mission members who lost their lives during its 35 years in the territory. At its end, the mission was headquartered in Laayoune, with nine team sites on both sides of the berm and a liaison office in Tindouf, counting about 200 civilian staff, military observers and staff officers from more than 35 countries, alongside a dedicated mine action capability.
The mandate lapsed after Friday’s Security Council meeting, where a US-drafted resolution drew 11 votes in favor but was blocked by a Russian veto, while a Russian counter-draft failed to win the nine votes needed for adoption. Morocco’s Royal Cabinet welcomed the non-renewal, saying the mission’s presence should cease and that the file should move out of the Security Council. Morocco proposes autonomy under its sovereignty, while the Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, seeks a self-determination referendum that includes the option of independence.
Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said Morocco will not expel the mission and will devote all necessary means to guarantee that its withdrawal takes place in organized conditions, noting that it was the Security Council that ended MINURSO’s mandate.
Related: Bourita: Morocco to Seek Removal of Sahara File from UN Fourth Committee and Moroccan Parliament to Hold Joint Session on Sahara Developments Monday.
Sources: UN News; Morocco World News; Hespress English; Medi1 News.
Featured image: MINURSO headquarters in Laayoune. Photo: cingularite, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.