The mission, known as MINURSO, has been in place in the disputed region since a ceasefire in 1991.
Published on November 1, 2026
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of a potential escalation of hostilities in the disputed Western Sahara region after the expiration of a 35-year peacekeeping mission.
“The Secretary General expressed concern about the security situation throughout the territory and the risk of escalation of hostilities,” his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, said in a statement on Sunday.
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Guterres also confirmed the end of the peacekeeping mission on Sunday, after the UN Security Council (UNSC) failed to renew its mandate on Friday.
He urged all parties concerned “to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from any action that could further increase tensions or undermine regional stability.”
November 1 marked the start of the “liquidation phase” of the peacekeeping mission, with the repatriation of assets to troop-contributing countries, Guterres said.
The UN created the Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire and prepare for a referendum on the future of the territory.
Morocco has considered Western Sahara its territory since 1975, when Spain withdrew from this desert region in northwest Africa, the size of Britain.
The Polisario Front, an Algerian-backed movement acting on behalf of the indigenous Sahrawi people, seeks to establish an independent state called the Sahrawi Republic.
At the United Nations Security Council on Friday, the United States proposed a resolution to support the principle of self-determination in Western Sahara. Washington’s plan would have extended the mission by a year, removed the term “referendum” from its name and made Morocco’s autonomy proposal the sole basis for new negotiations.
Russia vetoed the resolution, despite the support of 11 of the 15 members of the UN Security Council, including permanent members France and the United Kingdom.
The Council then rejected a competing Russian resolution, letting the mission expire without a new mandate.
“Although MINURSO peacekeeping operations have ended, the United Nations stands ready to continue supporting efforts to advance dialogue and seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict,” Guterres said on Sunday.
“Deep regrets”
Morocco’s royal palace said the failure of the mission to be renewed constituted a “significant development” in the removal of the Western Sahara issue from UNSC consideration.
On Saturday, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, expressed its “deep regrets” regarding the non-renewal, accusing the “excessive bias” of the United States towards Morocco’s position.
The Polisario Front said it was “concerned by the impasse in which the Security Council meeting finds itself.”
Speaking after Friday’s vote, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said it was truly unfortunate that in 2026 the veto was used to “preserve the letter R (in the name of the mission) for the referendum.”
He added that Washington’s proposal “would have advanced the 50-year conflict” and that the status quo is unacceptable.
Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said at the same meeting that Moscow opposed the project because it favored one side.
“We emphasize the fact that the Security Council cannot automatically predetermine issues related to sovereignty,” he said.
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