Polisario calls on Sahrawis to mobilise as UN mission leaves Western Sahara
The UN peacekeeping mission Minurso is preparing to leave the disputed territory after the Security Council did not renew its mandate.
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, known as Minurso, is preparing to leave the disputed territory after the Security Council did not renew its mandate, ending more than three decades of its presence.
The Polisario Front, the independence movement, has called on all Sahrawis to stand ready to defend their land and their right to self-determination. Political scientist Khadija Mohsen-Finan described the moment as a rupture, saying there is no longer a UN presence on the ground and that diplomacy has reached an impasse.
Mohsen-Finan warned that the threat is real because the two belligerents now face each other directly without the mission between them.
Why it mattersWith the mission gone, Sahrawis are being asked to prepare to defend their territory and their claim to self-determination.