As peacekeepers leave Western Sahara, refugees yearn to end a half-century wait
TINDOUF, Algeria, Nov 2 (Reuters) - At 51, Binina Mohamed is as old as the conflict that drove her from the Western Sahara region into a refugee camp in southern Algeria, where she has spent her life among tens of thousands of others facing a similar fate. The confrontation over her native land, often described as Africa's longest-running territorial dispute, was brought back into focus this…
The 35-year United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara is set to conclude after the Security Council failed to renew its mandate, according to UN chief Antonio Guterres. Morocco, which asserts sovereignty over the territory, welcomed the decision, while its opponents in the Algeria-backed Polisario Front expressed concerns.
The Polisario Front has been striving for an independent state in Western Sahara since Spain relinquished control in 1976. A peacekeeping mission, known as MINURSO, has been stationed there since a UN-brokered ceasefire in 1991. November 1 marks the beginning of the mission’s "liquidation phase," during which assets will be transported back to the countries contributing troops, as stated by the UN chief in a statement.
The mission's termination follows a year after the Security Council adopted a US-drafted resolution that endorsed Morocco's plan to grant the territory autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as the most feasible solution to the conflict. Russia, abstaining in the previous vote, vetoed a subsequent US-backed resolution that would have solidified the UN's preference for the Moroccan plan while reducing the peacekeeping force.
Consequently, the Security Council allowed the mission to expire without a new mandate. MINURSO's responsibilities included monitoring the ceasefire and organizing a referendum, a task that has remained unfulfilled due to disputes over voter eligibility.
Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita conveyed to state media that the mission's reference to a referendum, embedded in its name (R), was an "anachronism." Morocco had been informed Russia would block the US-drafted resolution, but regarded the veto as "an opportunity to review certain rules of the game." Morocco's royal palace deemed the non-renewal a "significant development" toward removing the Western Sahara issue from the Security Council's consideration.
The Algerian Foreign Ministry expressed "deep regret" over the non-renewal, attributing it to the "excessive bias" of the United States toward Morocco's position. The Polisario Front stated in a statement that it was "concerned at the deadlock in the Security Council meeting."
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ends after 35 years, UN chief says dailymaverick.co.za
- UN’s peacekeeping mission in disputed Western Sahara ends after 35 years france24.com
- UN's peacekeeping mission in disputed Western Sahara ends after 35 years npr.org
- UN warns of security risks in Western Sahara as peacekeeping mission ends aljazeera.com
- UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ends after 35 years, UN chief says nation.africa
