UN's peacekeeping mission in disputed Western Sahara ends after 35 years
CASABLANCA, Morocco —
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mission → dispute → years
The U.N.'s long-running peacekeeping mission for the disputed Western Sahara ceased operations Sunday after 35 years, as a result of a U.S.-Russia standoff at U.N. headquarters over the territory's future.
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mission → run → future
The end of the mission raises concerns about stability in the region.
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end → raise → region
Once ruled by Spain, it is claimed by both Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front.
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it → rule → Morocco
"This 1 November 2026 marks the start of the liquidation period," Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the U.N. secretary general, said in a statement.
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Dujarric → mark → statement
"A smaller team reporting to the United Nations' Department of Operational Support will oversee the orderly transportation of assets belonging to troop-contributing countries to their respective nations, and the appropriate disposal of equipment belonging to the United Nations.''
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team → report → Nations
The mission had been repeatedly extended since it was established in 1991.
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it → extend → 1991
In the U.N. Security Council on Friday, Russia vetoed a draft U.S. resolution that would have supported Morocco's demand for sovereignty over Western Sahara and ended the peacekeeping mission next year.
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that → veto → mission
Then a rival Russian resolution to extend the mission was voted down.
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resolution → extend → mission
The disagreement led to an abrupt end of the force's mandate.
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disagreement → lead → mandate
Morocco's royal palace welcomed the non-renewal of the mission.
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palace → welcome → mission
It called it an "instrument to internationalize the dispute.''
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It → call → dispute
The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, called it "an unacceptable decision.''
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Front → back → it
The Algerian foreign ministry said it profoundly regrets the non-renewal of the mandate and criticized what it called the ''excessive bias'' of the U.S. draft resolution.
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it → say → resolution
Western Sahara is Africa's longest territorial dispute
The U.N. classifies Western Sahara as a "non-self-governing territory," while critics of Morocco's control describe it as Africa's last colony.
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critics → classify → colony
Morocco administers nearly all of the disputed territory, except for a narrow strip known as the "free zone" that lies east of a Moroccan-built sand wall.
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that → administer → wall
After Morocco annexed it in 1975, the dispute escalated into an armed conflict that lasted more than 15 years and claimed more than 16,000 lives on both sides, according to the French Senate.
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that → annex → Senate
Bringing Western Sahara under its full sovereignty has been a central objective of Morocco's foreign policy for decades.
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Bringing → bring → decades
Rabat, which has secured the backing of a growing number of Western capitals, including Washington, Paris and London, refers to the territory as its southern provinces.
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which → secure → provinces
The dispute has become a defining feature of Morocco's diplomacy, with the kingdom often measuring its relations with other countries by their position on the issue.
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kingdom → become → issue
The Polisario Front seeks independence for the territory, which it considers the homeland of the Indigenous Sahrawi people.
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it → seek → people
Operating from refugee camps in the Algerian city of Tindouf, the movement aims to establish an independent Sahrawi Republic.
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movement → operate → Republic
Mainly backed by Algeria, Russia and South Africa, the Polisario has seen its international support dwindle in recent years.
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support → back → years
The expired mission was established to monitor a referendum
A U.N.-brokered cease-fire took effect in 1991.
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fire → establish → 1991
The agreement also paved the way for the creation of the U.N. Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, known as MINURSO.
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agreement → pave → MINURSO
The settlement plan provided for a referendum on self-determination, with independence among the options.
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plan → provide → options
But the vote never materialized.
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vote → materialize → ?
Morocco wanted the voter list to include Sahrawis living in the territory it controls, while the Polisario objected, arguing that their inclusion would tilt the outcome toward integration with Morocco.
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inclusion → want → Morocco
The movement insisted on using Spain's colonial census to determine voter eligibility.
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movement → insist → eligibility
Twenty MINURSO personnel lost their lives in the mission.
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personnel → lose → mission
The U.N. force was authorized to have 534 personnel, and its 2026-2027 budget was more than $62 million.
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budget → authorize → personnel
As the mission ends, the U.N. secretary-general ''calls upon all parties to respect and promote the rights of the people of Western Sahara,'' Dujarric said, and "remains concerned about the security situation throughout the Territory and the risk of escalation of hostilities.
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Dujarric → end → hostilities
He calls on all concerned to exercise maximum restraint.
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He → call → restraint
"
The Polisario withdrew from the ceasefire in 2020 after clashes and the territory has since remained the scene of tensions and low-intensity hostilities, the U.N. said last month.
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U.N. → withdraw → tensions
Algiers, which arms, funds and hosts the Polisario Front, sees full Moroccan sovereignty over the territory as a major diplomatic defeat.
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which → arm → defeat
The two countries severed diplomatic relations in 2021, and the end of the mission risks further straining ties and fueling an arms race.
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end → sever → race
The Aporia
