UN Western Sahara mission ends after 35 years as Russia vetoes US resolution

What happened at the Security Council

Russia vetoed a US draft resolution that would have supported Morocco's demand for sovereignty over Western Sahara and ended the peacekeeping mission next year, according to ABC News. Al Jazeera reported the draft drew 11 votes in favour out of 15 council members, including France and the United Kingdom.

A rival Russian resolution to renew the existing mission without the US changes failed to reach the nine votes required for adoption, receiving two in favour, one against and 11 abstentions. The mission's mandate consequently expired, and UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said a smaller team will oversee the orderly transport of troop-contributing countries' assets and disposal of UN equipment.

Divergent reactions

Morocco's royal palace welcomed the non-renewal, describing the mission as an instrument to internationalise the dispute. The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, called the outcome unacceptable, and Algeria's foreign ministry said it profoundly regretted the lapse and criticised what it called excessive bias in the US draft.

The UN secretary-general called on all parties to respect and promote the rights of the people of Western Sahara and remains concerned about the security situation and risk of escalation, urging maximum restraint. Oxfam warned that losing the mission's monitoring and de-escalation functions risks undermining security and stability, according to Al Jazeera.

Background

MINURSO was created in 1991 to monitor a UN-brokered ceasefire and prepare a referendum on self-determination that was never held. Morocco, which annexed the territory in 1975 after Spain withdrew, administers nearly all of it; the Polisario Front seeks an independent Sahrawi Republic. The UN classifies Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory.