CASABLANCA, Morocco — The U.N.’s long-running peacekeeping mission for the disputed Western Sahara ceased operations Sunday after 35 years, as a result of a U.S.-Russia standoff at U.N. headquarters over the territory’s future.
After Morocco annexed it in 1975, the dispute escalated into an armed conflict that lasted more than 15 years and claimed more than 16,000 lives on both sides, according to the French Senate.
“This 1 November 2026 marks the start of the liquidation period,” Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the U.N. secretary general, said in a statement. “A smaller team reporting to the United Nations’ Department of Operational Support will oversee the orderly transportation of assets belonging to troop-contributing countries to their respective nations, and the appropriate disposal of equipment belonging to the United Nations.” The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, called it “an unacceptable decision.” The Algerian foreign ministry said it profoundly regrets the non-renewal of the mandate and criticized what it called the ‘’excessive bias” of the U.S. draft resolution.
Bringing Western Sahara under its full sovereignty has been a central objective of Morocco’s foreign policy for decades. Rabat, which has secured the backing of a growing number of Western capitals, including Washington, Paris and London, refers to the territory as its southern provinces. The dispute has become a defining feature of Morocco’s diplomacy, with the kingdom often measuring its relations with other countries by their position on the issue. He calls on all concerned to exercise maximum restraint.
The Polisario withdrew from the ceasefire in 2020 after clashes and the territory has since remained the scene of tensions and low-intensity hostilities, the U.N. said last month.
As the mission ends, the U.N. secretary-general ‘’calls upon all parties to respect and promote the rights of the people of Western Sahara,” Dujarric said, and “remains concerned about the security situation throughout the Territory and the risk of escalation of hostilities.
