UN warns of security risks in Western Sahara as peacekeeping mission ends

The mission, known as MINURSO, has been in place in the disputed region since a ceasefire in 1991.

An Indonesian UN peacekeeper prepares to enter a UN vehicle on the Moroccan side of the border crossing point between Morocco and Mauritania in Guerguerat, Western Sahara [File: Fadel Senna/AFP]

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of potential escalation of hostilities in the disputed Western Sahara region after the expiry of a 35-year-long peacekeeping mission .

“The Secretary-General said he remains concerned about the security situation throughout the territory and the risk of hostilities escalating,” his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said in a statement on Sunday.

list 1 of 3 Making sense of the recent tension in Western Sahara

list 2 of 3 The failed diplomacy between Morocco and Polisario

list 3 of 3 Why is Morocco celebrating the defeat of a UN resolution on Western Sahara?

Guterres also confirmed the end of the peacekeeping mission on Sunday, after the UN Security Council (UNSC) failed to renew its mandate on Friday.

He urged all concerned “to exercise maximum restraint and to refrain from actions that could further increase tensions or undermine regional stability”.

November 1 marked the start of the “liquidation phase” of the peacekeeping mission, with assets transported back to troop-contributing countries, Guterres said.

The UN established the Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire and prepare a referendum on the territory’s future.

Morocco has considered Western Sahara its territory since 1975, when Spain withdrew from the desert region in northwest Africa, roughly the size of Britain.

The Polisario Front, an Algeria-backed movement acting on behalf of the Indigenous Sahrawi people, seeks to establish an independent state called the Sahrawi Republic.

At the UNSC on Friday, the US proposed a resolution to support the principle of self-determination in the Western Sahara. Washington’s 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.

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

The council then defeated a competing Russian resolution, leaving the mission to expire without a new mandate.

“While MINURSO’s peacekeeping operations have concluded, the United Nations stands ready to continue supporting efforts to advance dialogue and pursue a peaceful resolution of the conflict,” Guterres said on Sunday.

Morocco’s royal palace said the fact the mission was not renewed was a “significant development” in withdrawing the Western Sahara issue from the UNSC’s consideration.

On Saturday, Algeria’s Foreign Ministry, however, expressed “deep regret” over the non-renewal, blaming the “excessive bias” of the US towards Morocco’s position.

The Polisario Front said in a statement that it was “concerned at the deadlock in the Security Council meeting”.

Speaking after Friday’s vote, US Ambassador to the UN 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 Washington’s proposal “would have moved the 50-year conflict forward” and that the status quo is unacceptable.

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.

该特派团名为西撒特派团（MINURSO），自 1991 年停火以来一直在争议地区开展工作。

在西撒哈拉盖尔盖拉特，一名印度尼西亚籍联合国维和人员准备登上位于摩洛哥和毛里塔尼亚边境口岸摩洛哥一侧的联合国车辆。[图片：Fadel Senna/AFP]

联合国秘书长安东尼奥·古特雷斯警告说，在长达35年的维和任务结束后，有争议的西撒哈拉地区的敌对行动可能会升级。

“秘书长表示，他仍然对整个地区的安全局势以及敌对行动升级的风险感到担忧，”他的发言人斯特凡·杜加里克周日在一份声明中说。

列表 1/3：理解西撒哈拉近期的紧张局势

列表 2/3：摩洛哥与波利萨里奥阵线之间失败的外交努力

问题 3（共 3 题）：摩洛哥为何庆祝联合国关于西撒哈拉问题的决议被否决？

古特雷斯也于周日确认维和任务结束，此前联合国安理会周五未能延长其任务授权。

他敦促所有相关各方“保持最大限度的克制，避免采取可能进一步加剧紧张局势或破坏地区稳定的行动”。

古特雷斯表示，11月1日标志着维和任务“清算阶段”的开始，相关资产被运回部队派遣国。

联合国于 1991 年设立了西撒哈拉全民公投特派团（西撒特派团），以监督停火并筹备就该地区的未来举行全民公投。

自 1975 年西班牙从非洲西北部的沙漠地区（面积大致相当于英国）撤军以来，摩洛哥一直将西撒哈拉视为其领土。

波利萨里奥阵线是一个由阿尔及利亚支持的运动，代表撒哈拉土著人民，寻求建立一个名为撒哈拉共和国的独立国家。

周五，美国在联合国安理会提出一项决议，支持西撒哈拉的自决原则。华盛顿的草案拟将特派团的任期延长一年，删除特派团名称中的“全民公投”字样，并将摩洛哥提出的自治方案作为进一步谈判的唯一基础。

尽管包括常任理事国法国和英国在内的 15 个安理会成员国中有 11 个支持该决议，但俄罗斯否决了该决议。

随后，安理会否决了俄罗斯提出的与之竞争的决议，导致该特派团在没有获得新授权的情况下到期。

古特雷斯周日表示：“虽然西撒特派团的维和行动已经结束，但联合国随时准备继续支持推进对话和寻求和平解决冲突的努力。”

摩洛哥王室表示，此次任务未获续签是联合国安理会撤回对西撒哈拉问题的“重大进展”。

然而，阿尔及利亚外交部周六对未获续约表示“深切遗憾”，并将此归咎于美国对摩洛哥立场的“过度偏袒”。

波利萨里奥阵线在一份声明中表示，“对安理会会议陷入僵局表示关切”。

在周五的投票结束后，美国驻联合国大使迈克·沃尔兹表示，2026 年，否决权被用来“保留（特派团名称中的）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”，而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。