After 35 years, the UN's Western Sahara mission closes as its mandate runs out

Key points

• The mandate of MINURSO, the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, expired at midnight on Saturday 31 October 2026, UN News reported, after the Security Council failed on Friday to agree on its future.
• Sunday 1 November marked the start of a liquidation period, UN News reported: a smaller team reporting to the UN Department of Operational Support will oversee the disposal of UN equipment.
• Secretary-General António Guterres said the mission’s departure “does not abrogate” the people’s “inalienable right to self-determination”, in a statement delivered by his spokesperson, and called on all parties “to respect and promote the rights of the people of Western Sahara”.
• Morocco, which claims Western Sahara as its own, welcomed the mission’s end, while the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks an independent state, expressed concern, Reuters reported.
• The mission has operated since a UN-brokered ceasefire in 1991, Reuters reported — 35 years — and the UN’s work continues through the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, \1

  The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara has ended. Its mandate expired at midnight on Saturday, and Sunday marked the start of the liquidation phase that will wind the operation down, with assets transported back to the countries that contributed troops, Reuters reported. Read more: Russia vetoes US Western Sahara resolution at the UN — and its own rival draft fails too

  The end was not a decision taken on Sunday. It was the consequence of Friday’s failure in the Security Council, where no replacement text could command the votes needed for adoption. What expired was therefore not only a mandate but the framework the Council had renewed, year after year, since the ceasefire the mission was sent to monitor.

  A mandate that ran out

  In his statement, Guterres recognised the “central role” MINURSO has played since 1991 in helping to monitor the ceasefire and in creating conditions for a political solution, UN News reported. He expressed his “deepest gratitude” to the mission’s personnel, including the Special Representative for Western Sahara, Alexander Ivanko, and asked the parties to cooperate fully so the wind-down can be finished promptly and in an orderly way.

  

  He also said he remains concerned about the security situation throughout the territory and the risk of hostilities escalating, and urged all concerned “to exercise maximum restraint and to refrain from actions that could further increase tensions or undermine regional stability”, UN News reported.

  What the Council could not agree

  On Friday, the Council voted twice and adopted neither text. The United States draft won 11 votes in favour but was blocked by Russia’s veto as a permanent member; Russia’s rival draft, a simple one-year extension, then won only three votes and failed, Reuters reported. The failure left the mission with no renewed mandate when Saturday’s deadline arrived.

  The dispute behind the votes is the territory’s final status. A year earlier, the Council had adopted a US-drafted resolution accepting Morocco’s plan for autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as the “most feasible” solution, Reuters reported. Morocco proposes autonomy under its sovereignty; the Polisario Front seeks a self-determination referendum — and the Council could not agree a text that bridged the two positions.

  What happens next

  Although MINURSO’s operations have now ended, the UN says its engagement has not. The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, continues to work towards a peaceful resolution, UN News reported, and Guterres said the United Nations “stands ready to continue supporting efforts to advance dialogue and pursue a peaceful resolution of the conflict”. There is no successor mission, and Europe Unfolded will report any arrangement the Council agrees next.

  

  Key figures

  Measure	Figure	Source
  MINURSO in place since	1991, after a UN-brokered ceasefire	Reuters, UN News
  Mandate expired	Midnight, Saturday 31 October 2026	UN News
  Liquidation period began	Sunday 1 November 2026	UN News, Reuters
  US draft, Friday 30 October	11 votes in favour; blocked by Russia’s veto	Reuters
  Russian draft, Friday 30 October	3 votes in favour; failed	Reuters

  Updates & corrections

  Published 2 November 2026.

  No updates or corrections have been made to this article since publication.

  Sources

  • UN News, “Western Sahara: UN ‘stands ready’ to keep supporting peace efforts as MINURSO mission ends”, 1 November 2026, on the mandate expiring at midnight on Saturday, the liquidation period starting on Sunday, the smaller team reporting to the Department of Operational Support, the Secretary-General’s statement on self-determination, his gratitude to personnel including Alexander Ivanko, his concern about escalation and call for restraint, and the continuing work of Personal Envoy Staffan de Mistura: news.un.org
  • Reuters, “UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ends after 35 years, UN chief says”, 1 November 2026, on the 35-year mission ending after the Council failed to renew its mandate, the liquidation phase and the return of assets to troop-contributing countries, Morocco welcoming the decision and the Polisario Front expressing concern, the mission’s presence since the 1991 ceasefire, and last year’s resolution accepting Morocco’s autonomy plan as the most feasible solution: reuters.com
  • Reuters, via srnnews, “Russia vetos US-drafted resolution on Western Sahara”, 30 October 2026, on the Friday votes — 11 in favour for the US draft, blocked by Russia’s veto, and the rival Russian draft winning only three votes: srnnews.com (Reuters article)

  If you spot an error, see our Corrections Policy.