The United Nations mission in the Moroccan Sahara, MINURSO, has begun implementing operational cuts as part of an ongoing strategic review of the mission’s future role and field deployment, according to UN sources familiar with the process.
The mission this week reportedly informed around 20 medical staff members, including doctors and nurses working across MINURSO headquarters and field positions, that their services would be terminated by mid May.
The personnel are expected to leave the region and return to their home countries beginning in June, according to the same sources.
The move follows recent discussions at the United Nations Security Council regarding the future configuration and mandate of the mission amid shifting political and security dynamics surrounding the Sahara conflict.
Sources said the reductions are part of a broader UN effort to reassess operational mechanisms and reduce logistical and administrative costs tied to the mission’s activities.
The latest measures mark the second visible restructuring step within the mission in recent months after the dismissal of four sector and department heads and the withdrawal last November of one of MINURSO’s two field transport aircraft.
Discussions continue within UN circles over the future scale and mandate of the mission, particularly as diplomatic momentum around the political process has evolved in recent years and calls have grown for the mission’s structure to reflect developments on the ground.
MINURSO was established in 1991 to monitor the ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario Front and to support a UN backed political process concerning the territory.
The mission currently operates observation posts and logistical facilities across the region while coordinating with both sides under the framework of the ceasefire agreement.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.