The UN’s 35-year Western Sahara mission has ended after the Security Council deadlocked

L2Who’s affected

The people of Western Sahara, a territory the UN still lists as non-self-governing, and the roughly 200 civilian staff, military observers and staff officers from more than 35 countries who served at the mission’s Laayoune headquarters, nine team sites and Tindouf liaison office. The mission also ran a dedicated mine-action capability.

L3Why it’s quiet

We don’t have media-coverage data for this story yet, so we won’t guess why it was quiet. It is here because the outlets below reported it and it drew little wider attention.

L4Deeper impact

MINURSO was set up in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire and prepare a referendum on self-determination; the referendum never took place amid disagreements between Morocco and the Polisario Front. Guterres warned of the risk of escalating hostilities and urged maximum restraint. Opinion · Morocco’s position Morocco said the mission’s departure does not mean the end of the ceasefire.

L5Full context

Morocco, backed by the United States, Opinion · Morocco’s position considers its autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty the only basis for a solution; the Polisario Front, supported by Algeria, has so far rejected it. Morocco’s foreign minister, Nasser Bourita, said Morocco would also seek to move the issue out of the UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee. The UN says its political track continues through Personal Envoy Staffan de Mistura.

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