https://sagire.online/topic/western-sahara/ Rolling analysis and coverage of geopolitics, energy, security and supply chains. 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/ecfaecef/https://sagire.online/wire/ecfaecef/Wed, 04 Nov 2026 02:22:00 -0300The process of ending the UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara has begun, after Russia and the United States vetoed each other’s draft resolutions on extending the 35-year-old deployment, the UN confirmed, according to RFI, in a text republished by AllAfrica. Also according to RFI, the secretary-general’s spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, said a support team would oversee the withdrawal of the Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). The mandate expired on Saturday after Russia vetoed the US draft, backed by 11 of the Security Council’s 15 members, which would have extended the mission for a year and placed Morocco’s autonomy plan at the center of efforts to settle the conflict. Secretary-General António Guterres urged that the rights of the people of Western Sahara, including their inalienable right to self-determination, be respected and promoted. Morocco’s Royal Cabinet welcomed the non-renewal of the peacekeeping mandate.United NationsWestern Sahara 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/446f78fa/https://sagire.online/wire/446f78fa/Tue, 03 Nov 2026 02:22:00 -0300The Russian flag was raised in the Western Sahara territory controlled by the Polisario Front, in gratitude for Moscow's position at the UN Security Council on the conflict, Mohamed Yeslem Beissat, head of the Polisario delegation that visited Moscow this spring, told Sputnik. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the country could not support an initiative that would strip the people of Western Sahara of their right to vote.RussiaWestern SaharaMaghrebUnited Nations https://sagire.online/wire/daaca785/https://sagire.online/wire/daaca785/Mon, 02 Nov 2026 15:22:00 -0300The UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara had its mandate expire at midnight on Saturday, after the Security Council failed on Friday to agree on its future; a US draft resolution was vetoed by Russia, and a rival Russian text failed to win the nine votes needed for adoption. The end of the peacekeeping mission was confirmed on Sunday by UN Secretary-General Guterres.United NationsWestern Sahara 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/90e6d80d/https://sagire.online/wire/90e6d80d/Sun, 01 Nov 2026 19:21:00 -0300UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of the risk of an escalation of hostilities in Western Sahara after the end of a 35-year peacekeeping mission, Al Jazeera reported. The departure of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) “does not abrogate” the people’s “inalienable right to self-determination”, the UN said. At the Security Council, Russia vetoed the resolution despite support from 11 of the 15 members, including permanent members France and the United Kingdom.United NationsWestern SaharaAfricaDiplomacy https://sagire.online/wire/b5602ad8/https://sagire.online/wire/b5602ad8/Sun, 01 Nov 2026 12:22:00 -0300UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of potential military escalation across Western Sahara following the termination of the body’s 35-year-old peacekeeping mission in the disputed territory, according to TRT World. The UN said the departure of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) “does not abrogate” the territory’s people’s “inalienable right to self-determination”.Western SaharaUnited NationsAfricaMaghreb 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/2178f767/https://sagire.online/wire/2178f767/Sun, 01 Nov 2026 01:22:00 -0300The United Nations Security Council did not adopt a resolution extending the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), whose mandate expires on October 31, 2026. A draft tabled by the United States received 11 votes in favor, 1 veto from Russia and 3 abstentions, according to the United Nations. The US draft would also have rebranded the force from MINURSO to MINUSO, dropping the R that stands for a referendum on the territory’s self-determination, according to Deutsche Welle.United NationsWestern SaharaMaghrebDiplomacy 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/7665a365/https://sagire.online/wire/7665a365/Thu, 08 Oct 2026 08:23:00 -0300Eight Israeli arms manufacturers, including the three giants Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Elbit Systems and Rafael, are participating in the 2026 Marrakech Air Show for the first time, Middle East Eye reported. Morocco and Israel formalised ties in 2020 under a US-brokered normalisation agreement, in exchange for Washington’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty claim over Western Sahara. Hundreds gathered outside parliament in Rabat to denounce the deepening ties with Israel on the first day of the air show.MoroccoIsraelWestern SaharaMaghreb