MINURSO liquidation begins in the Sahara after mandate ends
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Yabiladi, Kassataya, Bladi and France 24
MINURSO began its liquidation on 1 November 2026 after the Security Council failed to renew its mandate, Yabiladi, Kassataya, Bladi and France 24 report. Morocco welcomed the decision, while the Polisario Front called it “unacceptable”, according to France 24.
The Security Council rejected two draft resolutions: Russia vetoed the US text, which presented autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as the sole basis for discussion, then the United States blocked Russia’s counter-proposal for a technical extension of the mission. Vassili Nebenzia described the first text as “unilateral” and Michael Waltz said MINURSO had not achieved its initial objective, according to Kassataya.
The mission has about 350 military and civilian personnel. Their evacuation, the closure of sites on both sides of the sand wall and the transfer of equipment could take several months, according to an internal source quoted by Kassataya. France’s representative to the UN, Jérôme Bonnafont, said an abrupt closure would be “extremely concerning” amid renewed tensions, the outlet reports.
The demining programme associated with MINURSO resumed east of the wall in May 2023, then in the south of the territory in January 2024, following discussions with the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and the Polisario Front, Bladi reports. Since 2008, it has enabled about 150 million square metres of land to be returned to use and more than 30,000 explosive devices to be neutralised, while more than 80,000 people have benefited from awareness-raising activities. Funding relies mainly on the peacekeeping operations budget, at about three million dollars a year. UNMAS is seeking an additional three million dollars for accident prevention, victim assistance and strengthening local capacity, according to Bladi.
Update of 1 November 2026: After a US resolution on the Sahara failed, the UN announced that MINURSO operations would end and its liquidation phase would begin, according to Le Matin. Read: UN ends MINURSO operations and launches its liquidation.
Update of 1 November 2026: Diogo Pacheco de Amorim, vice-president of Portugal’s Assembly of the Republic, believes that the non-renewal of MINURSO’s mandate is a positive step towards ending the Sahara conflict. Read: Portuguese official says end of MINURSO mandate is positive.
