United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric formally announced the commencement of the administrative liquidation period for the UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, concluding thirty-five years of continuous deployment. Designated as MINURSO, the mission was originally established by the Security Council in 1991 to monitor a fragile ceasefire between Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front and organize a self-determination referendum. The operational mandate officially expired on November 1 after the United Nations Security Council failed to reach consensus on a renewal resolution.
The dissolution follows protracted geopolitical standoffs among permanent Security Council members, leaving approximately four hundred military observers, civilian staff, and logistical personnel to prepare for orderly withdrawal. Regional observers voiced profound concern that the departure of international monitoring forces creates a perilous security vacuum along the heavily mined desert berm separating Moroccan-controlled territory from Polisario-administered zones. Diplomatic envoys urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint and recommit to political dialogue under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General to avert a return to full-scale armed hostilities.
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Sources:
https://apnews.com/article/western-sahara-un-peacekeepers-morocco-algeria-030e303c58207060265d8748c1db3778