The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in the Sahara (MINURSO) has begun implementing a series of organizational measures aimed at reducing costs and restructuring some of its logistical and medical services, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The changes follow the recent dismantling of the mission’s medical center and the termination of contracts for approximately 20 medical personnel, including doctors and nurses who had been serving at mission facilities and military observation posts tasked with monitoring the ceasefire.
According to UN sources, the measures are part of a broader internal review of MINURSO’s operational framework, particularly its administrative and service functions. The review seeks to reduce operating expenses and reallocate human and logistical resources in line with current field requirements and priorities.
The restructuring comes as part of a wider effort by the mission to improve efficiency and optimize available resources amid evolving political and security dynamics surrounding the Sahara dispute.
Salek Rahal, spokesperson for the movement Sahrawis for Peace, said the measures are consistent with U.N. Security Council Resolution 2797, which requested that the U.N. secretary-general conduct a strategic review of MINURSO’s future mandate while taking into account developments in the political process.
Rahal said negotiations held in recent months away from public attention may have produced preliminary understandings regarding the next phase of efforts to resolve the conflict. He suggested that the mission’s mandate could be revised to reflect political developments and growing international support for Morocco’s autonomy proposal as a framework for resolving the dispute.
He also argued that a recent attack on the city of Smara, claimed by the Polisario Front, could be interpreted as an attempt to emphasize the importance of maintaining MINURSO’s current ceasefire-monitoring mandate.
Rahal noted that some donor countries have increasingly questioned the mission’s cost-effectiveness, citing an annual budget exceeding $65 million and a personnel strength of roughly 225 members. He said discussions about restructuring peacekeeping operations have gained momentum, particularly among major contributors to the U.N. budget, including the United States.
Looking ahead to Security Council deliberations expected in October, Rahal said the coming months could prove decisive in determining the mission’s future configuration. He predicted a possible reduction in personnel and field deployments on both sides of Morocco’s security berm.
Political analyst Abdelkader Brihma said the latest measures reflect a broader shift in the U.N.’s approach to the conflict, moving away from managing a long-standing stalemate toward supporting a political solution viewed as realistic and achievable.
MINURSO was established in 1991 to oversee a referendum on self-determination in the Sahara. However, disagreements over voter eligibility and other issues prevented the referendum from taking place, prompting the United Nations to place greater emphasis on a negotiated politica
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