Western Sahara: MINURSO ceases operations after 35 years and enters liquidation

The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) ceased operations on Sunday, November 1, 2026, after thirty-five years of presence, reports Africanews. Its end stems from a standoff between the United States and Russia at UN headquarters, rather than a resolution of the conflict.

A veto, then a rejection

On October 30, 2026, Russia vetoed a US draft resolution that would have supported Morocco's claim of sovereignty over the territory and ended the mission the following year. The competing Russian draft, which proposed extending it, was subsequently rejected in turn. Lacking an agreement, the mandate was not renewed. "This November 1, 2026, marks the beginning of the liquidation period," stated Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General. A reduced team is tasked with organizing the return of assets from troop-contributing countries and the disposal of UN equipment.

Rabat satisfied, Algiers and the Polisario bitter

The Moroccan royal palace welcomed the non-renewal of a mission it presents as an "instrument" used to internationalize the dispute. The Polisario Front, which has been calling for independence and a Sahrawi Republic from the camps in Tindouf, Algeria, called it an "unacceptable decision." The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs "deeply regrets" the end of the mandate and denounces the "excessive bias" of the American text. Algiers and Rabat severed diplomatic relations in 2021.

An African mission, a referendum never held

Born from the 1991 ceasefire, MINURSO was intended to prepare a self-determination vote including the option of independence. It never took place: Morocco wanted to include Sahrawis living in the territory it administers on the electoral rolls, while the Polisario demanded sticking to the Spanish colonial census. Africanews notes that its authorized strength was 534 personnel with a budget exceeding 62 million dollars for 2026-2027, that Egypt and Ghana were among its main troop contributors, and that twenty of its members lost their lives there. Following the Moroccan annexation of 1975, the armed conflict resulted in more than 16,000 deaths on both sides, according to a figure from the French Senate.

A security vacuum at the worst time

The Polisario withdrew from the ceasefire in 2020 following clashes, and low-intensity hostilities have continued since. The UN Secretary-General is calling on the parties to exercise "maximum restraint" and says he remains concerned about the risk of escalation. Classified by the UN as a non-self-governing territory, Western Sahara remains the continent's longest-running territorial dispute: its fate has just been decided in New York by two powers outside of Africa, and the continent finds itself with a zone of tension devoid of observers.