UN Peacekeeping Mission in Western Sahara Ends After 35 Years: How Rabat and Algiers Reacted
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The Arab Post
- . November 2, 2026
- . Update: November 2, 2026 8:59 pm
UN Peacekeeping Mission in Western Sahara is ends today, marking the conclusion of a 35-year segment in the international scene of North Africa that has been mediated by the United Nations. UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ends, The United Nations Security Council on Friday, 31 October 2026, did not pass any resolution to extend the mandate of the mission following a contentious meeting where it appeared that a vote was to be held for the mandate.
The mission, which was initially launched in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire and to set up a referendum, will end in 2026, without any replacement plan. Russia, in the key Security Council vote, blocked a draft resolution by the U.S., seeking a one-year extension. Morocco’s autonomy plan was a key point in the future negotiations that were spelled out in the US draft, sparking animated protests from some members.
Then an alternative resolution, sponsored by the Russians, calling for a simple and unconditional extension of the mandate also fell short in getting the nine votes needed. MINURSO’s mandate was therefore officially terminated on November 1 and the Western Sahara dispute without any official UN peacekeeping presence for the first time in decades.
Morocco and Algeria React to the Historic Decision
Political consequences in North Africa have been rapid, sharp and very polarized. The UN Peacekeeping Mission in Western Sahara ends soon, and the Moroccan Government formally announced the good news via the Royal Office.
The mission’s finalization has been termed a “big and good” move towards resolving the territorial issue for good by Rabat, according to the African Examiner. Morocco rejects any notion of independence for the region and is adamant that it is part of the sovereign state of Morocco and insists on regional autonomy within Moroccan rule.
Morocco’s UN delegate reaffirmed the country’s firm adherence to the current ceasefire at the UN’s headquarters. Further international lectures were unnecessary and Morocco’s sovereignty should be respected, the delegate added, asking critics to “go home” from the picture-postal of Western Sahara.
On the other hand, Algeria’s government was “deeply disappointed” and “diplomaticy frustrated. Algerian foreign ministry spokesman Nasreddine Benchekroun took great pains to condemn the Western Sahara deadlock, which caused the UN mission’s failure, “with deep regret,” Al Jazeera reports.
The first resolution drafted by the US strongly condemned by the Algerians called for an “unfair and excessive bias” in favour of Rabat. The UN delegate for Algeria publicly condemned the defeated draft as a “flagrant assault on the principle of self-determination,” and expressed thanks to Russia for having defeated the American draft.
The Future for the Polisario Front – UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ends
The Algeria-backed movement for an independent Sahrawi state, the Polisario Front, is facing major geopolitical problems on the ground with the abrupt end of the mission.
Sidi Omar, the representative of the Polisario Front at the UN, made a public statement of welcome to the Russian veto. He said the US plan would have “sabataged” the Sahrawis’ “longstanding right to self-determination forever. But MINURSO’s lack of active oversight of the highly-mined DMZs could mean that the fragile ceasefire of 1991 may come toppling down in the near future, regional defense analysts say.
In any case, while Morocco and Algeria have been responding to this huge diplomatic void, the road ahead is very uncertain. The fact that the MINURSO mandate is set to end in 2026 and without a negotiated political solution, raises the stakes for both Rabat and Algiers regarding the Western Sahara issue as the West no longer has a buffer to define the territory for 35 years.
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