The United Nations has started the formal liquidation of its peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, ending more than three decades of international monitoring in one of North Africa’s most persistent territorial disputes.
The mission’s closure followed a standoff between the United States and Russia at the United Nations over the future status of the territory. Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said November 1 marked the beginning of the liquidation period. The process is expected to involve the withdrawal or reassignment of personnel, the disposition of equipment and the winding down of logistical operations.
Western Sahara has been disputed since Spain’s withdrawal in 1975. Morocco controls most of the territory and proposes autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty, while the Polisario Front seeks independence for the Sahrawi people. A ceasefire monitored by the UN was established in 1991, but political negotiations have repeatedly stalled.
The mission’s end does not automatically settle the dispute, but it removes a visible international mechanism that has helped manage tensions and document developments along the territory’s security buffer. That may increase pressure on regional governments and outside powers to prevent the dispute from becoming more militarized.
The decision also illustrates how divisions among major powers can affect peacekeeping even when a mission remains central to regional stability. For Morocco, Algeria and the Polisario Front, the next phase will depend heavily on whether diplomats can preserve communication channels and maintain the ceasefire framework without the same UN presence.
The broader significance extends beyond Western Sahara. The closure may influence debates about the future of peacekeeping missions whose mandates depend on consensus among permanent Security Council members. It also underscores the growing difficulty of sustaining international operations when strategic competition between Washington and Moscow overrides narrower conflict-management goals.
Sources: - https://apnews.com/article/030e303c58207060265d8748c1db3778 - https://www.un.org/press/en