Monrovia-The United Nations Security Council has failed to renew the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), following disagreements among Council members over competing draft resolutions on the disputed territory.
The development occurred on Friday, October 30, 2026, after Russia vetoed a United States-backed resolution, while a separate Russian proposal to extend the mission’s mandate for another year failed to secure the required nine votes.
The outcome leaves MINURSO, which has operated in Western Sahara for 35 years, without a renewed mandate ahead of its expiration on October 31.
In a statement issued following the Council’s decision, Morocco welcomed the development, describing it as a significant step toward ending the United Nations’ longstanding involvement in the Western Sahara dispute.
The Moroccan government said the decision coincided with the country’s celebration of Unity Day, proclaimed by King Mohammed VI, and represented a shift in its approach to resolving the territorial issue.
According to the statement, the non-renewal of MINURSO’s mandate is expected to result in the withdrawal of the mission’s personnel, vehicles, equipment and other operational presence from Morocco’s southern provinces in the coming days.
Morocco further argued that the development should lead to the removal of the Western Sahara question from the Security Council’s agenda, including the discontinuation of periodic Council meetings, reports by the UN Secretary-General and briefings by his Personal Envoy.
The government also indicated that it would continue pursuing its diplomatic efforts at bilateral and regional levels, maintaining that autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty remains the framework it supports for resolving the dispute.
Morocco said its position had attracted support from more than two-thirds of UN member states, including permanent members of the Security Council and other influential countries.
However, the failure to renew the mission’s mandate followed a disagreement among major powers over the future of the UN presence in the territory and the framework for resolving the dispute.
The United States-backed proposal sought to make Morocco’s autonomy plan the basis for negotiations while introducing changes to the mission’s mandate. Russia opposed the proposal and subsequently presented an alternative calling for a straightforward one-year extension of MINURSO, which also failed to pass.
The Polisario Front, which supports independence for Western Sahara, has opposed proposals it considers prejudicial to the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.
Established in 1991, MINURSO was mandated to monitor the ceasefire and support efforts toward a referendum on the future status of Western Sahara. However, disagreements over the referendum process and the territory’s political future have prevented a lasting settlement.
Despite welcoming the Security Council’s latest decision, Morocco reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the ceasefire, protecting its territorial integrity and ensuring national security.
The failure to renew MINURSO’s mandate marks a significant development in the decades-long Western Sahara dispute, although the political future of the territory and the implications of the Council’s decision remain unresolved.
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