ع
The UN Security Council failed to renew the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara on October 30 2026 after Russia vetoed a US-drafted resolution that had secured 11 votes in favor including those of France and the United Kingdom. The US text would have extended the mission for one year made Morocco’s autonomy plan the sole basis for negotiations and removed the reference to a referendum from its name while scaling back its military component according to a Reuters dispatch from the United Nations. A subsequent Russian proposal for a straightforward one-year extension without alterations received only two votes in favor with 11 abstentions and one vote against leading to its defeat as detailed in reports from Al Jazeera and the UN itself.
Morocco’s royal cabinet issued a statement welcoming the outcome describing it as a significant step toward closing the file on the Sahara issue at the United Nations and calling for the mission’s personnel and equipment to depart the territory in the coming days. Footage from Laayoune the largest city in Western Sahara showed residents celebrating by waving Moroccan flags and displaying portraits of King Mohammed VI BBC News reported on November 3 2026. Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said Rabat had anticipated the Russian position and considered the developments highly positive while permanent representative Omar Hilale added that the veto did not undermine Moroccan sovereignty and that cooperation with Russia would continue according to accounts in Morocco World News and The Voice of Morocco.
The mission established following a 1991 ceasefire between Morocco and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front had consisted of 155 military personnel and carried a projected cost of 62 million dollars for the fiscal year that began in June a UN report cited by multiple outlets including Reuters and the BBC confirmed. With the mandate’s expiration on October 31 2026 the UN entered a liquidation phase involving a reduced team to manage the transfer of assets and equipment UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated in a release covered by CNBC Africa. The Polisario Front’s UN representative Sidi Omar thanked Russia for blocking the US draft which he said would torpedo the foundations of the peace process according to the original BBC coverage.
Algeria’s foreign ministry expressed regret at the failure to extend the mandate and criticized the US proposal for exhibiting excessive bias toward Morocco in a statement reported by Reuters on October 30 2026. The territorial dispute which has persisted for more than five decades saw Morocco assert historical ties to the region dating back centuries while the Polisario has sought an independent state with a referendum long proposed but never conducted due to disagreements over voter eligibility as outlined in analyses from Middle East Eye. A 2025 Security Council resolution had already identified Morocco’s autonomy initiative as the most feasible path forward building on earlier US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the territory according to reporting in The Times of Israel.
Issam Laaroussi a Moroccan international relations expert told the BBC that the end of the mission represented an opportunity for Rabat to move beyond what he described as a failed international mechanism. US Ambassador Michael Waltz noted during the council session that longstanding disagreements had prevented any referendum for decades while his Russian counterpart Vassily Nebenzia condemned the American draft as a unilateral approach that prejudged sovereignty issues according to coverage in DW and Spectator Africa. The developments occur against a backdrop of sustained Moroccan diplomatic efforts to gain international backing for its autonomy plan which has received support from several nations in recent years as referenced in updates from Security Council Report.
Questions persist about the future of the fragile ceasefire and broader political process now that the 35-year-old mission has concluded without a renewed mandate. Morocco has argued that the issue should no longer feature on the Security Council’s agenda viewing the outcome as realistic recognition that the prior framework had not delivered progress according to statements compiled by Le360 and Eunews. UN officials have indicated that the liquidation will proceed while interested parties continue to seek avenues for dialogue in the absence of the peacekeeping structure.
