UN peacekeepers leave Western Sahara after 35 years of service

The United Nations ended its peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara on Sunday, bringing a 35-year operation to a close. The departure follows a diplomatic deadlock between the United States and Russia at U.N. headquarters that left the mission without a renewed mandate.

Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the U.N. secretary general, confirmed the change in status in a statement dated November 1, 2026. He described the start of a liquidation period where a smaller team will oversee the return of assets to their home countries. This team reports to the Department of Operational Support and will handle the disposal of U.N. equipment.

The mission, known as MINURSO, was created in 1991 to monitor a cease-fire and facilitate a referendum on self-determination. The vote never happened because Morocco and the Polisario Front could not agree on the list of eligible voters. Morocco wanted to include Sahrawis living in the territory it controls, while the Polisario Front argued for using Spain's colonial census to avoid a bias toward integration.

The abrupt end to the mission resulted from conflicting votes at the U.N. Security Council on Friday. Russia vetoed a U.S. draft resolution that would have supported Morocco's claim to sovereignty and scheduled the mission's end for next year. A rival Russian resolution to extend the mission was then voted down. This disagreement forced the immediate expiration of the force's authority.

Western Sahara is a vast desert region along Africa's northwestern Atlantic coast. It is roughly the size of Colorado and rich in minerals and fisheries. Morocco administers most of the area, while the Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, claims the strip of land east of a Moroccan-built sand wall. The territory is classified by the U.N. as a non-self-governing territory.

The conflict has deep historical roots. Morocco annexed the territory in 1975, leading to an armed conflict that lasted more than 15 years. According to the French Senate, the war claimed more than 16,000 lives. The Polisario Front operates from refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria, and seeks to establish an independent Sahrawi Republic.

The U.N. force was authorized to have 534 personnel. Its budget for 2026-2027 exceeded $62 million. Egypt, Ghana, and Pakistan were the top military contributors. Twenty U.N. personnel died while serving in the mission over its decades of operation.

Morocco's royal palace welcomed the end of the mission, calling it an instrument to internationalize the dispute. Rabat has secured support from Western capitals including Washington, Paris, and London. The Polisario Front called the decision unacceptable. The Algerian foreign ministry expressed profound regret and criticized the U.S. draft resolution for excessive bias.

Tensions have persisted since the Polisario Front withdrew from the 1991 cease-fire in 2020. The U.N. reported last month that the territory remains a scene of low-intensity hostilities. The secretary general called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to prevent an escalation of hostilities.