# MINURSO Has Ended After 35 Years. The Western Sahara Dispute Has Not. > MKNIRALO — World — WESTERN SAHARA / UNITED NATIONS - Published: 2026-11-02 - Estimated reading time: 9 minutes - Byline: Iona — International Institutions Observer - Byline disclosure: Iona is a publication-owned house editorial byline, not a claim of an independently verified individual or a diplomatic correspondent with personal access. Articles use accessible documents and independent reporting, and avoid presenting disputed claims as settled facts. - Author profile: https://mkniralo.com/authors/iona/ - Tags: Western Sahara, MINURSO, United Nations, Peacekeeping, Morocco, Algeria, Polisario Front - Series: [Western Sahara UN Mission and Peace Process Watch](https://mkniralo.com/series/western-sahara-minurso-transition-watch/) - Cover image: https://mkniralo.com/images/western-sahara-minurso-transition-2026.svg The UN mission ceased operations on November 1 after the Security Council failed to renew its mandate. A smaller UN team will oversee liquidation and asset withdrawal, while the dispute over Western Sahara remains unresolved. The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, known as MINURSO, ceased operations on November 1, 2026, after the Security Council failed to adopt either of two competing resolutions to renew its mandate. A smaller UN team is to oversee the liquidation period and the withdrawal or disposal of mission assets. The mission’s end is a significant institutional change, but it is not a peace agreement, a referendum or a settlement of the territory’s status. ## The mandate expired after two competing renewal drafts failed On October 30, Russia vetoed a US-drafted Security Council resolution that would have renewed the mission for a year while changing the proposed political framework and the mission’s future role. The Council then failed to adopt a separate Russian draft that would also have extended the mandate. The disagreement left MINURSO without a renewed mandate when the existing one expired on October 31. The Associated Press reported that the mission ceased operations on the following day, November 1. The outcome followed a dispute among Council members over how a renewed mission should relate to the competing positions on Western Sahara. Sources: - [UN’s peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ends after 35 years following US-Russia standoff](https://apnews.com/article/western-sahara-un-peacekeepers-morocco-algeria-030e303c58207060265d8748c1db3778) — The Associated Press - [Competing US, Russia resolutions on Western Sahara defeated in UN Security Council](https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-vetos-us-drafted-resolution-western-sahara-2026-10-30/) — Reuters - [10260th meeting – MINURSO](https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/events/10260th-meeting-minurso) — United Nations Security Council ## MINURSO was created to monitor a ceasefire and prepare a referendum The Security Council established MINURSO in 1991 after a UN-brokered ceasefire. Its name reflects its central original task: the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. The mission was also tasked with monitoring the ceasefire and supporting the arrangements connected with a proposed act of self-determination. The referendum never took place. The UN Mandate Registry records that the mission’s mandate had been repeatedly renewed, most recently through Resolution 2797 in 2025, which extended it to October 31, 2026. The mission therefore operated for decades without the political process reaching the vote that its name anticipated. Sources: - [UN’s peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ends after 35 years following US-Russia standoff](https://apnews.com/article/western-sahara-un-peacekeepers-morocco-algeria-030e303c58207060265d8748c1db3778) — The Associated Press - [Security Council Resolution 2797 (2025): Extension of MINURSO’s mandate until 31 October 2026](https://mandates.un.org/mandate/S/RES/2797%20(2025)) — United Nations Mandate Registry ## The dispute over voter eligibility never produced a referendum One central obstacle was disagreement over who should be eligible to vote. The AP report describes competing positions over whether Sahrawis living in the territory under Moroccan administration should be included or whether eligibility should be tied more narrowly to Spain’s colonial census. That dispute prevented agreement on the electorate. Morocco administers most of Western Sahara and supports an autonomy proposal under Moroccan sovereignty. The Polisario Front seeks independence and is backed by Algeria. These positions are contested by the parties and should be reported as their respective positions, not treated as a final legal settlement. Sources: - [UN’s peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ends after 35 years following US-Russia standoff](https://apnews.com/article/western-sahara-un-peacekeepers-morocco-algeria-030e303c58207060265d8748c1db3778) — The Associated Press - [Competing US, Russia resolutions on Western Sahara defeated in UN Security Council](https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-vetos-us-drafted-resolution-western-sahara-2026-10-30/) — Reuters ## The end of MINURSO does not mean the UN has vanished overnight A UN spokesperson told the Associated Press that November 1 marked the start of a liquidation period. A smaller team reporting to the UN Department of Operational Support is expected to oversee the orderly return of assets belonging to troop-contributing countries and the appropriate disposal of UN equipment. That is a narrower administrative presence, not a continuation of MINURSO’s previous peacekeeping mandate. The distinction matters: the withdrawal of mission assets is a separate process from any future political or security arrangement for the territory. Sources: - [UN’s peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ends after 35 years following US-Russia standoff](https://apnews.com/article/western-sahara-un-peacekeepers-morocco-algeria-030e303c58207060265d8748c1db3778) — The Associated Press ## Security concerns remain after the mission’s closure The UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson said the Secretary-General remained concerned about the security situation and the risk of escalation, and called on all parties to exercise restraint. Reuters also reported warnings that losing the mission’s monitoring and de-escalation functions could affect regional stability. The Polisario announced in 2020 that it was withdrawing from the ceasefire framework, and the area has since experienced low-intensity hostilities and tensions. The end of the mission does not establish that fighting will increase, but it removes a longstanding UN monitoring presence at a time when the political dispute remains unresolved. Sources: - [UN’s peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ends after 35 years following US-Russia standoff](https://apnews.com/article/western-sahara-un-peacekeepers-morocco-algeria-030e303c58207060265d8748c1db3778) — The Associated Press - [Competing US, Russia resolutions on Western Sahara defeated in UN Security Council](https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-vetos-us-drafted-resolution-western-sahara-2026-10-30/) — Reuters ## What to watch after the withdrawal The next questions concern the pace and conditions of the liquidation, whether the Security Council considers a new form of UN engagement, and whether the parties resume or change their diplomatic approach. The UN meeting record confirms that Western Sahara was the subject of the Council’s October 30 meeting, while the earlier mandate resolution shows the framework that has now expired. Developments affecting civilians, freedom of movement, refugee communities and the security situation should be tracked separately from diplomatic statements. The end of MINURSO is a change in the UN mission structure; it does not resolve the underlying question of Western Sahara’s political future. Sources: - [Competing US, Russia resolutions on Western Sahara defeated in UN Security Council](https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-vetos-us-drafted-resolution-western-sahara-2026-10-30/) — Reuters - [10260th meeting – MINURSO](https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/events/10260th-meeting-minurso) — United Nations Security Council - [Security Council Resolution 2797 (2025): Extension of MINURSO’s mandate until 31 October 2026](https://mandates.un.org/mandate/S/RES/2797%20(2025)) — United Nations Mandate Registry ## About this article This article reflects the public sources available on the publication and update dates shown above. For developing stories, follow the linked source pages for subsequent statements or decisions. ## Sources and further reading - [UN’s peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ends after 35 years following US-Russia standoff](https://apnews.com/article/western-sahara-un-peacekeepers-morocco-algeria-030e303c58207060265d8748c1db3778) — The Associated Press (published 2026-11-02) (accessed 2026-11-02) - [Competing US, Russia resolutions on Western Sahara defeated in UN Security Council](https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-vetos-us-drafted-resolution-western-sahara-2026-10-30/) — Reuters (published 2026-10-30) (accessed 2026-11-02) - [10260th meeting – MINURSO](https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/events/10260th-meeting-minurso) — United Nations Security Council (published 2026-10-30) (accessed 2026-11-02) - [Security Council Resolution 2797 (2025): Extension of MINURSO’s mandate until 31 October 2026](https://mandates.un.org/mandate/S/RES/2797%20(2025)) — United Nations Mandate Registry (published 2025-10-31) (accessed 2026-11-02)