UN Western Sahara peacekeeping mission ends after 35 years

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ended on Sunday after 35 years of operations, France 24, The Washington Post, and AOL.com reported. France 24, The Washington Post, and vijesti.me said the shutdown followed a diplomatic standoff between the United States and Russia at the UN headquarters. Al Jazeera and Morocco World News reported that the mandate of the mission, known as MINURSO, expired after the Security Council failed to pass a resolution to renew it. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

According to France 24, Morocco welcomed the end of the mission, while the Algeria-backed Polisario Front described the decision as unacceptable. Al Jazeera reported that Morocco celebrated the defeat of a United States-drafted resolution aimed at extending the mandate. Russia vetoed the proposal, leaving the mission in limbo, Al Jazeera said. [1][3]

The UN established MINURSO in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire and prepare a referendum on the future of the disputed territory, Al Jazeera reported. Spain withdrew from Western Sahara in 1975, after which Morocco considered the region part of its own territory, according to Al Jazeera. Hostilities between Morocco and the Polisario Front had previously resumed in 2020 after the Polisario Front declared the 1991 truce broken. [3][9]

Morocco administers about 80 percent of Western Sahara, including major cities and resource-rich areas, while the Polisario Front controls a narrow eastern strip. Western Sahara is a United Nations designated non-self-governing territory in northwestern Africa covering 272,000 square kilometres. With an estimated 600,000 inhabitants, it is the most sparsely populated territory in Africa. [8][9]

France 24 reported that the end of the mission raises concerns about stability in the region, which is rich in minerals and fisheries. The vast desert territory along the coast of Africa remains disputed without a UN peace force to monitor the area. [1]