The United Nations officially began liquidating its MINURSO mission in the Sahara on Sunday, November 1, following the expiry of its mandate without an extension from the Security Council, ending 35 years of peacekeeping operations.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, announced that a reduced team reporting to the UN Department of Operational Support would oversee the withdrawal and disposal of mission assets.
The team will coordinate the repatriation of equipment belonging to troop-contributing countries and manage UN-owned property under established disposal procedures.
Guterres called on all parties to cooperate fully to ensure the liquidation process proceeds in an orderly manner and is completed as quickly as possible.
The announcement follows Friday’s Security Council deadlock, when Russia vetoed an American resolution supported by 11 members that would have renewed and restructured MINURSO.
A competing Russian proposal to extend the mission’s existing mandate for another year received only three votes in favor, one against and 11 abstentions, falling short of the nine votes required for adoption.
Guterres paid tribute to MINURSO’s personnel for their work since the mission’s establishment in 1991, particularly in monitoring the ceasefire and supporting efforts toward a political settlement.
He also commended Special Representative Alexander Ivanko for leading the mission through difficult circumstances following the resumption of hostilities in 2020, and honored the 20 personnel who died while serving with MINURSO.
Despite the mission’s closure, Guterres expressed concern about the risk of escalating hostilities and urged restraint from all parties.
The Secretary-General reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to pursuing a negotiated political settlement through his Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura.
The termination of MINURSO’s operations does not end the UN’s diplomatic involvement in the Sahara dispute or remove the issue from the Security Council’s agenda.
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