Morocco commits to Western Sahara ceasefire after UN mission ends
The UN Security Council failed to extend the 35-year-old peacekeeping mission after vetoes from the US and Russia.
Morocco stated on Wednesday that it will uphold the ceasefire in Western Sahara, despite the end of the United Nations peacekeeping mission. The UN Security Council could not agree on an extension for the 35-year-old mission, with both the US and Russia vetoing competing resolutions. King Mohammed VI ordered officials to protect Morocco’s territorial integrity and national security.
The UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) was deployed in 1988 to monitor a referendum that never occurred. The territory of Western Sahara is claimed by both Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front, which is backed by Algeria. Rabat welcomed the mission's end, while Algeria and the Polisario Front expressed regret and concern respectively. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned of an escalation risk.
The UN classifies Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory. Morocco administers most of the disputed area, except for a small “free zone” east of a Moroccan-built sand wall. An armed conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front lasted over 15 years after Morocco annexed the territory in 1975, claiming more than 16,000 lives.
Why it mattersMorocco and the Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, both claim the territory of Western Sahara, and the end of the UN peacekeeping mission raises concerns about renewed conflict.