https://sagire.online/topic/morocco/ Articles and notes where Morocco is a central actor. en Thu, 05 Nov 2026 02:48:00 -0300 https://sagire.online/wire/64bff82a/https://sagire.online/wire/64bff82a/Wed, 04 Nov 2026 19:22:00 -0300The mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) expired at midnight on Saturday, after the Security Council failed on Friday to agree on its future: a US draft was vetoed by Russia and a rival Russian text failed to win the nine votes needed. Secretary-General António Guterres said the departure of the mission “does not abrogate” the Sahrawi people's “inalienable right to self-determination”, in a statement delivered by his spokesperson. Russia vetoed the US draft despite support from 11 of the 15 Council members, including France and the United Kingdom; the US text 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. When the mandate ended, the mission was headquartered in Laayoune, with nine team sites — four west of the sand wall and five east of it — and a liaison office in Tindouf, with about 200 civilian staff, military observers and staff officers from over 35 countries. Morocco's royal palace said that Rabat's “voluntary commitment” to the ceasefire would not change with the end of the mission, following a meeting chaired by King Mohammed VI with the prime minister, a royal adviser and the army chief — according to Reuters, in a text republished by Yahoo News Malaysia. The same statement called the fact that the mission was not renewed a “significant development” that withdraws the issue from the Security Council's consideration. Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita told state media that Rabat's next step would be to remove Western Sahara from the UN's decolonization committee, saying Rabat had the support of two-thirds of UN member states.United NationsMoroccoWestern SaharaDiplomacy https://sagire.online/wire/a573928d/https://sagire.online/wire/a573928d/Tue, 03 Nov 2026 03:22:00 -0300The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) ceased operations on November 1, 2026, after 35 years, and entered a liquidation period, after its mandate expired on October 31 with the Security Council approving neither of the two draft resolutions. The United States text received 11 votes in favor, 1 Russian veto and 3 abstentions, and the alternative Russian text, which extended the mission until October 31, 2027, received 3 votes in favor, 1 vote against from the United States and 11 abstentions. The US text removed the word referendum from the mission’s name and made the Moroccan autonomy proposal the sole basis for further negotiations. The Russian delegation said it could reverse the entire resolution process and called the vote a life-saving veto, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said the end of the mission does not mean the end of the ceasefire, and Oxfam warned that losing the monitoring role could undermine stability, with serious consequences for civilians.United NationsUnited StatesRussiaMoroccoWestern Sahara https://sagire.online/wire/bb13aea6/https://sagire.online/wire/bb13aea6/Mon, 02 Nov 2026 22:22:00 -0300Cartoonist and graffiti artist Yasser Mounbir was sentenced at first instance in Casablanca to four years in prison for insulting the king and fined 40,000 dirhams, with his lawyers announcing an appeal.MoroccoPress freedomMaghreb https://sagire.online/wire/b807faf6/https://sagire.online/wire/b807faf6/Mon, 02 Nov 2026 13:23:00 -0300Cartoonist and graffiti artist Yasser Mounbir was sentenced on Friday, October 30, to four years in prison in Morocco over caricatures of the king, according to Le Monde.MoroccoPress freedomHuman rights https://sagire.online/wire/ff2aa3d4/https://sagire.online/wire/ff2aa3d4/Mon, 02 Nov 2026 08:22:00 -0300The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO) has ended its operations after its mandate expired at midnight on Saturday, and a liquidation period began on Sunday, November 1. Secretary-General António Guterres said the mission’s departure “does not abrogate” the people of the territory’s “inalienable right to self-determination” and that the UN continues to seek a political solution through his Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura. He recognized MINURSO’s central role since 1991 and paid tribute to the 20 mission personnel who died during its 35 years in the territory. Meanwhile, Sahrawi refugees cling to hopes of return.Western SaharaUnited NationsMoroccoDiplomacy https://sagire.online/wire/c4c83c44/https://sagire.online/wire/c4c83c44/Mon, 02 Nov 2026 03:21:00 -0300Russia vetoed on Friday the United States' (US) proposal on Western Sahara, backed by 11 of the 15 Council members, including France and the United Kingdom, while the rival Russian draft received two votes in favor, one against and 11 abstentions, falling short of the nine needed — and Morocco's royal palace welcomed the outcome, said United Nations (UN) personnel and equipment should leave the territory and that the issue should leave the Council's agenda, while remaining committed to the ceasefire, according to Al Jazeera.MoroccoUnited NationsWestern SaharaDiplomacy https://sagire.online/wire/b21e5b68/https://sagire.online/wire/b21e5b68/Sun, 01 Nov 2026 10:22:00 -0300The United Nations Security Council rejected a US-drafted resolution seeking to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), with 11 votes in favor, one veto from Russia and three abstentions. The mission’s mandate expired at midnight on Saturday, October 31. Morocco celebrated the defeat of the resolution, according to Al Jazeera.United NationsWestern SaharaMoroccoRussia https://sagire.online/wire/92217cb7/https://sagire.online/wire/92217cb7/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 07:23:00 -0300The rivalry between Algeria and Morocco is projecting further south, into the Sahel, the Middle East Eye points out. In the region, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, united in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), are trying to diversify their partners as they distance themselves from several of their former Western allies, according to the outlet.AlgeriaMoroccoMaliBurkina FasoNigerSahel https://sagire.online/wire/3da11309/https://sagire.online/wire/3da11309/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 06:22:00 -0300Russia vetoed on Friday the US-backed resolution on Western Sahara, which had the support of 11 of the 15 members of the Security Council, according to Al Jazeera. A rival Russian draft failed to secure the nine votes needed for adoption. The mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) expires on Saturday unless the council reaches a last-minute agreement. The US text would have affirmed that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is “the only feasible solution to negotiate a mutually acceptable solution”, according to the Associated Press (AP), in a text republished by U.S. News.United NationsWestern SaharaRussiaUnited StatesMorocco https://sagire.online/wire/2b374ba7/https://sagire.online/wire/2b374ba7/Fri, 30 Oct 2026 20:23:00 -0300Russia and the United States vetoed each other’s rival Western Sahara resolutions at the Security Council on Friday, leaving the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission there without a renewal a day before its mandate expires, according to Reuters, in a text republished by The Star. The US-drafted resolution would have cemented Morocco’s autonomy plan as the only basis for talks and scaled back the military component of the mission. The Russian-drafted resolution, which would have extended the mandate for another year without changes, was vetoed by the United States.United NationsRussiaUnited StatesMoroccoWestern SaharaMaghrebAfrica https://sagire.online/wire/3f15021e/https://sagire.online/wire/3f15021e/Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:23:00 -0300US President Donald Trump said Morocco had named the highway between Tiznit and Dakhla after him, a 1,055 km road in operation since January after a decade of construction; Rabat has not commented on the tribute, according to Al Jazeera. The road links southern Morocco with Mauritania and crosses Western Sahara, a territory the UN classes as non-self-governing, which Rabat calls its southern provinces and which the Polisario Front disputes, according to Le Monde.MoroccoWestern SaharaUnited StatesAfricaDiplomacy https://sagire.online/wire/a38f3995/https://sagire.online/wire/a38f3995/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:21:00 -0300Up to 500 Moroccan personnel have undergone training in Morocco to join the International Stabilization Force in Gaza, a Board of Peace official told The Times of Israel on Monday. According to the official, the training began in late August and was conducted by the US-led force, which he could not confirm had been fully completed. Morocco committed in February to sending police officers and military personnel to postwar Gaza, becoming the first Arab country to do so publicly, and is slated to be the first to deploy personnel, ahead of Albania, Kazakhstan and Kosovo, according to the newspaper.MoroccoGazaUnited StatesUnited NationsConflictDiplomacy https://sagire.online/wire/1a77350d/https://sagire.online/wire/1a77350d/Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:24:00 -0300Israel barred a US contractor from Gaza, blocking the base for Moroccan and Kosovan troops, according to Middle East Eye. The contractor was building a fortified compound for approximately 150 international troops, according to Ynetnews, citing the Guardian.GazaIsraelUnited StatesMorocco https://sagire.online/wire/87371336/https://sagire.online/wire/87371336/Tue, 13 Oct 2026 06:25:00 -0300King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia are visiting Ceuta months after more than 70,000 migrants arrived from Morocco, France24 reported. The visit has divided residents and risks reigniting diplomatic tensions with Morocco, which claims sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla.SpainMoroccoMigrationDiplomacyEuropeMaghreb https://sagire.online/wire/d9ecb75b/https://sagire.online/wire/d9ecb75b/Mon, 12 Oct 2026 18:23:00 -0300Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Moroccan navy vessels entered Spanish waters off Ceuta without permission after late July’s mass migrant crossing, according to Reuters, in a text republished by The Straits Times. Sánchez played down the incidents, calling them isolated.SpainMoroccoMigrationEuropeMaritime borders