Western Sahara: UN Peacekeeping Mission Ends as Mandate Expires, Guterres Says Self-Determination Right Stands
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement delivered by his spokesperson on November 1 that the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) expired at midnight on Saturday and the mission's operations have ended, while stressing that its departure does not abrogate the people's inalienable right to self-determination. The UN will keep working towards a peaceful resolution through his Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura.
The Security Council failed on Friday to agree on the mission's future: a draft resolution from the United States was vetoed by Russia, while a rival Russian text, which would have extended the mandate by one year to October 31, 2027, failed to win the nine votes needed for adoption. Guterres recognised the central role MINURSO has played since 1991 in monitoring the ceasefire and creating conditions for a political solution, and paid tribute to its personnel, to Special Representative Alexander Ivanko, and to the 20 mission personnel who lost their lives during its 35 years in the territory.
When its mandate ended, the mission was headquartered in Laayoune, with nine team sites, four west of the berm and five east of it, and a liaison office in Tindouf. It had about 200 civilian staff, military observers and staff officers from over 35 countries, and a dedicated mine action capability. Sunday marked the start of a liquidation period, in which a smaller team reporting to the UN Department of Operational Support will oversee the disposal of UN equipment, and Guterres called for the parties' full cooperation so the process can be completed in an orderly way as soon as possible.
Guterres said he remains concerned about the security situation throughout the territory and the risk of hostilities escalating, and urged all concerned to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from actions that could increase tensions or undermine regional stability. MINURSO was established in 1991 under Council resolution 690, in line with UN and Organization of African Unity settlement proposals accepted in 1988 by Morocco and the Frente POLISARIO, providing for a referendum in which the people of Western Sahara would choose between independence and integration with Morocco; the referendum never took place. Morocco put forward an Autonomy Proposal in 2007 envisaging the territory as self-governing under Moroccan sovereignty. While MINURSO's peacekeeping operations have concluded, the statement said, the United Nations stands ready to continue supporting efforts to advance dialogue and pursue a peaceful resolution.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 照片：联合国西撒哈拉特派团位于阿尤恩的总部（资料图），cingularite 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 2.0 授权 / Photo: MINURSO headquarters in Laayoune (file photo), by cingularite, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
