Why is Morocco celebrating the defeat of a UN resolution on Western Sahara?

The mandate for UN mission that was tasked to monitor 1991 truce and hold referendum in disputed territory expires.

A Sahrawi man at a closed school in Bir Lahlou in Western Sahara [File: Bernat Armangue/AP]

Morocco has welcomed the defeat of a US-drafted resolution which sought to extend the mandate of the UN mission in the disputed Western Sahara.

The mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) expired on Saturday after a veto by Russia, leaving the future of the peacekeeping mission in limbo. In 1991, the UN established MINURSO to monitor a ceasefire and prepare a referendum on the territory’s future.

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Morocco has considered Western Sahara its own territory since 1975, when Spain withdrew from the desert region in northwest Africa which is roughly the size of Britain. The Algeria-backed Polisario Front seeks to establish an independent state called the Sahrawi Republic.

So, why is Morocco celebrating the failed UN resolution? What does it mean for the future of the disputed region?

Here is what we know:

What happened at the UN Security Council?

On Friday, the US, which is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, proposed a resolution to support the principle of self-determination in the disputed Western Sahara.

Russia vetoed the resolution, despite support from 11 of the 15 council members, including fellow permanent members France and the United Kingdom.

The US draft would have extended the mission for a year, removed “referendum” from its name and made Morocco’s autonomy proposal the only basis for further talks.

Last October, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution that offered genuine autonomy to Western Sahara. Under that plan, the territory would manage its internal affairs, but remain under Moroccan sovereignty.

The Security Council had already made the proposal a basis for negotiations last year and asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to submit a review of the peacekeeping mission.

Speaking after the vote, US ambassador Mike Waltz said it was truly unfortunate that in 2026 the veto was used to “preserve the letter R (in the Mission’s name) for referendum”.

He added that Washington’s proposal “would have moved the 50-year conflict forward” and added that the status quo is not acceptable.

Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, said at the same meeting that Moscow opposed the draft because it favoured one side.

“We stress the fact that the Security Council cannot automatically predetermine matters relating to sovereignty,” he said.

Instead, Russia proposed renewing the existing mission without those changes. But that draft also failed to secure the nine votes needed for adoption, receiving two votes in favour, one against and 11 abstentions.

MINURSO’s mission has 155 military personnel and is set to cost $62m in the fiscal year that began in June, according to a UN report. But its mandate expired on Saturday.

How did Morocco and Algeria react to the failure of the UN mission?

Morocco’s royal palace welcomed the failure to renew MINURSO, saying on Friday that UN personnel and equipment should leave the territory in the coming days and that the Western Sahara issue should now be withdrawn from the Security Council’s consideration. Morocco said it remained committed to the ceasefire.

According to a UN media statement, Morocco’s UN representative also questioned why Algeria’s delegate was giving the Security Council “lectures” on the Western Sahara.

“Let these people [in the Western Sahara] go back to Morocco,” he said, “let them go home”.

Algeria expressed regret on Saturday over the failure to renew MINURSO’s mandate. Its foreign ministry criticised what it described as the US draft’s excessive bias towards Morocco.

According to a UN media statement, Algeria’s delegate to the UN thanked Russia for its draft resolution and all other member nations “who have chosen not to associate themselves” with an egregious injustice and a flagrant attack on “the very foundation of our organisation”.

Algeria’s UN representative noted that the country has been a refuge for hundreds of thousands of Sahrawi people who have been denied their right to self-determination.

The “tragedy being endured by the Sahrawi people has oddly been diluted to the concept of refugee populations”, he added.

Sidi Omar, the Polisario Front’s representative at the UN, told reporters on Friday that he welcomed Russia’s veto because the US proposal would undermine Sahrawi self-determination.

What is the Western Sahara dispute all about?

The Polisario Front, the political and military representative, does not recognise Morocco’s annexation of the territory following Spain’s withdrawal in 1975. It has been seeking a UN-supervised referendum for self-determination.

In 1976, it declared the independent Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

Decades of fighting drove at least 170,000 Indigenous people into refugee camps in Tindouf in neighbouring Algeria, which backs the Polisario Front.

The Polisario Front signed a UN-brokered ceasefire with Morocco in 1991. It called for a referendum within six months, but it was never held.

Morocco, which retains control of its lucrative phosphate and fishing resources in Western Sahara, claims historic and pre-colonial ties to the land and views the region as an integral part of its territory [“Greater Morocco”].

For decades, the US has provided military and diplomatic support to Morocco. But in 2020, Donald Trump recognised Moroccan sovereignty over the territory during his first term in office. Morocco soon established diplomatic ties with Israel as part of the so-called Abraham Accords.

The region is now the last United Nations-designated “non-self-governing territory” in Africa, where between 100,000 and 140,000 Moroccan military personnel are based.

Low-level fighting has also continued since the Polisario Front said it was resuming armed struggle in 2020.

Why is Morocco celebrating the failed UN resolution?

MINURSO was set up to monitor the 1991 ceasefire and hold a referendum in Western Sahara. The expiry of its mandate will likely boost Morocco’s stance on the referendum question, though its autonomy proposal has already been adopted by the UN.

On Saturday, according to a video report by the Reuters news agency, a festive atmosphere prevailed in the streets of El Aaiun, the capital of Western Sahara.

In the central Mechoua Square, dozens of people were wearing melfas, the traditional Sahrawi women’s garments, and long robes known as darra, as they waved Moroccan flags and displayed portraits of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.

Selim Balouati Lakhloufi, a historian and researcher based in Morocco, said that Morocco is pleased because “diplomatic developments at the United Nations are supporting its strategy regarding the [disputed Western] Sahara”.

“The support of powers such as the United States, France and the United Kingdom for Morocco’s autonomy proposal strengthens its international position and is gradually shifting the debate away from the right to self-determination and the possibility of independence toward a solution based on autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty,” he told Al Jazeera.

What does this mean for the future of the Western Sahara?

The collapse of MINURSO’s mandate could escalate the dispute in the Western Sahara, according to aid organisations.

Oxfam has warned that losing MINURSO’s “monitoring and de-escalation functions risks undermining security and stability”.

Lakhloufi said that the UN mission’s expiry is also unfavourable for Sahrawi independence aspirations.

Regarding the future of the Western Sahara, he said that Morocco will likely continue to consolidate its territorial, economic and administrative control, while the Polisario Front will face greater difficulties in securing international support.

“The proposal for autonomy could end up becoming the main framework for negotiations, pushing independence further and further out of reach,” he added.

负责监督 1991 年停火协议并在争议领土举行全民公投的联合国特派团的任务期限已到期。

西撒哈拉比尔拉赫卢一所已关闭的学校里的一名撒哈拉男子 [图片：Bernat Armangue/AP]

摩洛哥对美国起草的旨在延长联合国在有争议的西撒哈拉地区特派团任务期限的决议被否决表示欢迎。

联合国西撒哈拉全民公投特派团（西撒特派团）的任务期限在周六到期，此前俄罗斯行使了否决权，导致该维和特派团的未来悬而未决。1991年，联合国设立西撒特派团，旨在监督停火并为该地区的未来举行全民公投做准备。

问题 1/3：为什么西班牙在北非拥有“飞地”？

摩洛哥否认参与休达移民涌入事件（共3条，第2条）

西班牙新的撒哈拉公民法为何对摩洛哥至关重要（共3条，此为第3条）

自1975年西班牙从这片位于非洲西北部的沙漠地区（面积与英国大致相当）撤军以来，摩洛哥一直将西撒哈拉视为其领土。受阿尔及利亚支持的波利萨里奥阵线寻求建立一个名为“撒哈拉共和国”的独立国家。

那么，摩洛哥为何要庆祝联合国决议的失败？这对争议地区的未来意味着什么？

我们目前掌握的情况如下：

联合国安理会发生了什么？

周五，作为联合国安理会常任理事国的美国提出了一项决议，支持在有争议的西撒哈拉地区实行自决原则。

尽管安理会 15 个成员国中有 11 个支持该决议，其中包括常任理事国法国和英国，但俄罗斯否决了该决议。

美国草案将使团任务延长一年，从任务名称中删除“全民公投”一词，并将摩洛哥的自治提议作为进一步谈判的唯一基础。

去年10月，联合国安理会通过一项决议，赋予西撒哈拉真正的自治权。根据该决议，西撒哈拉将自主管理其内部事务，但仍处于摩洛哥的主权之下。

安全理事会去年已将该提议作为谈判的基础，并要求联合国秘书长安东尼奥·古特雷斯提交一份关于维和任务的审查报告。

投票结束后，美国大使迈克·沃尔兹表示，2026 年动用否决权“保留（使团名称中的）字母 R 以进行全民公投”，这实在令人遗憾。

他还补充说，华盛顿的提议“本可以推动这场持续50年的冲突向前发展”，并表示维持现状是不可接受的。

俄罗斯常驻联合国代表瓦西里·涅边贾在同一次会议上表示，莫斯科反对该草案，因为它偏袒一方。

“我们强调，安全理事会不能自动预先决定与主权有关的事项，”他说。

俄罗斯提议在不作上述修改的情况下延长现有任务。但该草案也未能获得通过所需的九票，仅获得两票赞成、一票反对和十一票弃权。

根据联合国的一份报告，西撒特派团（MINURSO）的任务单位拥有155名军事人员，在始于6月的财政年度预计耗资6200万美元。但其任务授权已于周六到期。

摩洛哥和阿尔及利亚对联合国特派团的失败作何反应？

摩洛哥王室周五对联合国西撒哈拉全民投票特派团（MINURSO）未能续签表示欢迎，并称联合国人员和装备应在未来几天内撤离该地区，西撒哈拉问题应从安理会审议议程中移除。摩洛哥表示，将继续致力于停火。

根据联合国媒体声明，摩洛哥驻联合国代表还质疑阿尔及利亚代表为何要就西撒哈拉问题向安理会“说教”。

“让西撒哈拉的这些人回到摩洛哥去，”他说，“让他们回家去。”

阿尔及利亚周六对未能续签西撒特派团的任务期限表示遗憾。其外交部批评美国起草的草案对摩洛哥过于偏袒。

根据联合国媒体声明，阿尔及利亚驻联合国代表感谢俄罗斯提出的决议草案，并感谢所有其他“选择不与这种令人发指的不公正行为和对‘我们组织的根本基础’的公然攻击为伍”的成员国。

阿尔及利亚驻联合国代表指出，该国一直是数十万撒哈拉人的避难所，这些撒哈拉人被剥夺了自决权。

他补充说，“撒哈拉人民所遭受的悲剧奇怪地被淡化为难民群体的概念”。

波利萨里奥阵线驻联合国代表西迪·奥马尔周五告诉记者，他欢迎俄罗斯的否决，因为美国的提议将破坏撒哈拉人的自决权。

西撒哈拉争端究竟是怎么回事？

波利萨里奥阵线作为该地区的政治和军事代表，不承认摩洛哥在1975年西班牙撤军后对该领土的吞并。它一直在寻求联合国监督下的全民公投，以实现自决。

1976年，它宣布成立独立的撒哈拉阿拉伯民主共和国。

数十年的战乱导致至少 17 万土著居民逃往邻国阿尔及利亚廷杜夫的难民营，阿尔及利亚支持波利萨里奥阵线。

1991年，波利萨里奥阵线与摩洛哥签署了由联合国斡旋的停火协议。该阵线呼吁在六个月内举行全民公投，但公投从未举行。

摩洛哥仍然控制着西撒哈拉利润丰厚的磷酸盐和渔业资源，声称与这片土地有着历史和前殖民时代的联系，并将该地区视为其领土的组成部分（“大摩洛哥”）。

几十年来，美国一直向摩洛哥提供军事和外交支持。但在2020年，唐纳德·特朗普在其第一个总统任期内承认了摩洛哥对该领土的主权。随后，摩洛哥根据所谓的《亚伯拉罕协议》与以色列建立了外交关系。

该地区现在是联合国在非洲指定的最后一个“非自治领土”，驻扎着 10 万至 14 万摩洛哥军事人员。

自波利萨里奥阵线宣布于 2020 年恢复武装斗争以来，低烈度战斗也一直在持续。

摩洛哥为何庆祝联合国决议失败？

西撒哈拉全民投票特派团（MINURSO）的设立旨在监督1991年西撒哈拉停火协议的执行情况，并主持西撒哈拉全民公投。尽管摩洛哥提出的自治方案已被联合国采纳，但其任务期限的到期可能会增强摩洛哥在全民公投问题上的立场。

据路透社视频报道，周六，西撒哈拉首府阿尤恩的街头洋溢着节日气氛。

在中央的梅舒阿广场，数十人身着撒哈拉妇女的传统服装梅尔法和被称为达拉的长袍，挥舞着摩洛哥国旗，并展示摩洛哥国王穆罕默德六世的画像。

常驻摩洛哥的历史学家和研究员塞利姆·巴卢阿蒂·拉赫卢菲表示，摩洛哥对此感到高兴，因为“联合国的外交进展正在支持其关于（有争议的西）撒哈拉的战略”。

“美国、法国和英国等大国对摩洛哥自治提议的支持，加强了摩洛哥的国际地位，并逐渐将辩论的焦点从自决权和独立的可能性转移到基于摩洛哥主权下的自治解决方案上，”他告诉半岛电视台。

这对西撒哈拉的未来意味着什么？

援助组织称，西撒哈拉全民投票特派团（MINURSO）任务的崩溃可能会加剧西撒哈拉的冲突。

乐施会警告说，失去西撒特派团的“监测和降级职能”可能会破坏安全与稳定。

拉赫卢菲表示，联合国特派团的任期结束也不利于撒哈拉人的独立愿望。

关于西撒哈拉的未来，他表示，摩洛哥可能会继续巩固其领土、经济和行政控制，而波利萨里奥阵线在争取国际支持方面将面临更大的困难。

他补充说：“自治提议最终可能会成为谈判的主要框架，使独立越来越遥不可及。”