UN mission mandate expires in Western Sahara
The UN Security Council failed to renew the mandate for the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara.
The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (Minurso) has ceased operations after its mandate was not renewed at the UN Security Council. The mission's presence in the region, which lasted 35 years, ended on October 31, 2026, following two successive resolutions that failed to gain the necessary votes for renewal.
The failure to renew the mandate followed negotiations between the United States and Morocco on one side, and Russia and the Polisario Front on the other. The UN Security Council adjourned in surprise overnight on Friday, October 30, into Saturday, October 31.
Minurso was established to organize a referendum in Western Sahara. The mandate's expiration leaves the future of the region's political status uncertain.
Why it mattersThe failure to renew the UN mission's mandate directly impacts the political future and organization of a referendum in Western Sahara.