The UN Security Council has failed to agree an extension to the mandate of its mission in Western Sahara. According to Deutsche Welle, Russia vetoed a US draft resolution on Friday 30 October, before the United States blocked a Russian proposal. MINURSO’s current mandate is due to expire on 31 October 2026, but that does not confirm that the mission will close or its personnel will withdraw.
The dispute over the extension reflects a fundamental disagreement about the territory’s future. Morocco regards Western Sahara as part of its territory, while the Algeria-backed Polisario Front seeks independence. MINURSO was established in 1991 to oversee a settlement plan and a ceasefire between the two sides.
Two proposals, two vetoes
DW reports that the US proposal would have extended the mandate for a year while significantly changing the direction of the UN’s work. It would have made Morocco’s autonomy plan the sole basis for negotiations and reduced the mission’s military component. The draft also proposed renaming MINURSO as MINUSO, removing the letter referring to a referendum on the territory’s self-determination.
Eleven of the Security Council’s 15 members supported the US draft, with three abstaining. Russia used its veto to prevent its adoption. The United States then vetoed Russia’s proposal, which would have extended the mandate for a year on its existing terms. None of the proposed changes to the mission’s name, composition or political framework was therefore adopted.
The conflicting reactions from the parties to the dispute underlined the significance of the votes. According to DW, Morocco’s royal palace welcomed the failure to renew the mandate, while a Polisario Front representative thanked Russia for blocking the US draft.
Mandate deadline does not confirm mission’s closure
DW’s report, published on the morning of 31 October, describes a deadlock shortly before the mandate was due to expire. It does not establish whether the Security Council subsequently reached another agreement. The failure to agree an extension must therefore be distinguished from the mission’s actual closure: the expiry deadline alone does not confirm that operations have ended or that UN personnel have left Western Sahara.
