UN peacekeepers exit Western Sahara

United Nations peacekeeping operations in Western Sahara ceased on Sunday, November 1, 2026. The abrupt end to the mission follows a failed effort to renew the force's mandate, leaving the disputed territory without an international monitoring presence for the first time in 35 years.

The withdrawal stems from a deadlock at the U.N. Security Council last week. On Friday, Russia vetoed a draft resolution from the United States. That U.S. proposal supported Morocco's claim to sovereignty and intended to end the mission next year. A rival Russian resolution to extend the current mandate was subsequently voted down. This sequence of events caused the force's authorization to expire immediately.

The mission, known as MINURSO, was established in 1991 to oversee a ceasefire and a referendum on self-determination. The vote never took place due to disagreements over voter eligibility. Morocco wanted to include residents within its controlled areas, while the Polisario Front, which seeks independence, argued for using a Spanish colonial census. The U.N. authorized 534 personnel for the force. Its budget for the 2026-2027 period exceeded $62 million. Egypt, Ghana, and Pakistan provided the largest numbers of troops.

Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the U.N. secretary general, confirmed the start of the liquidation period on November 1. He stated that a smaller team from the United Nations Department of Operational Support will manage the process. This group will oversee the return of assets to troop-contributing nations and handle the disposal of U.N. equipment. The spokesperson noted that 20 MINURSO personnel lost their lives during the mission's history.

Western Sahara is a desert territory roughly the size of Colorado, located along Africa's northwestern Atlantic coast. It is rich in minerals and fisheries. Morocco administers nearly all of the land, excluding a narrow strip called the free zone east of a Moroccan-built sand wall. The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, claims the territory as the homeland of the Indigenous Sahrawi people. The movement operates from refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria, and aims to establish an independent Sahrawi Republic.

The two sides have been in dispute since Spain ruled the area. Morocco annexed the territory in 1975, triggering an armed conflict that lasted more than 15 years. The French Senate estimates that more than 16,000 people died on both sides during that war. Morocco has long viewed control of Western Sahara as a central goal of its foreign policy. It has secured support from Washington, Paris, and London, which recognize the region as part of the Moroccan kingdom.

The U.N. secretary general called on all parties to respect the rights of the people in Western Sahara. Dujarric relayed that the secretary general remains concerned about the security situation and the risk of hostilities escalating. He urged all concerned parties to exercise maximum restraint. The Polisario Front withdrew from the 1991 ceasefire in 2020 after clashes. The U.N. reported last month that low-intensity hostilities have continued since then.

The end of the mission heightens tensions between regional rivals Morocco and Algeria. The two countries severed diplomatic ties in 2021. Algeria arms and funds the Polisario Front and views full Moroccan sovereignty as a diplomatic defeat. The Moroccan royal palace welcomed the non-renewal of the mission, describing it as an instrument used to internationalize the dispute. The Algerian foreign ministry expressed profound regret and criticized the U.S. draft resolution for excessive bias. The Polisario Front called the decision unacceptable.