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UN to vote on MINURSO’s future in the Sahara

By , based on RFI

UN to vote on MINURSO’s future in the SaharaIllustrative image · cingularite · CC BY-SA 2.0

The UN Security Council is due to vote on 30 October on the future of MINURSO, the United Nations mission in the Sahara. The US draft resolution has undergone several changes in recent days, according to RFI, which has seen different versions of the text.

The UN Security Council is due to vote on Friday 30 October on the future of MINURSO, the United Nations mission in the Sahara. The draft resolution presented by the United States has been amended after several preliminary versions, according to RFI, which has seen the drafts circulated in recent days.

An initial version had particularly angered the Polisario Front, the Sahrawi independence movement. The vote follows discussions on the mission’s mandate and reorganisation, particularly concerning self-determination, mentioned in a draft resolution on the Sahara.

The 30 October vote follows changes Washington made to its draft, after an initial proposal to reform MINURSO and several successive versions. The US draft reintroducing self-determination was published on 29 October.

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Sahara negotiations

Guterres and the UN place self-determination at the center of negotiations on the Sahara, while several countries support Morocco’s autonomy plan.

The latest developments

Earlier in this story

  1. 28 OctMoroccan minister Nasser Bourita meets Sergey Lavrov in Moscow
  2. 28 OctWashington eases MINURSO reorganisation in the Sahara
  3. 28 OctGermany reaffirms support for Moroccan autonomy in the Sahara
  4. 28 OctUN makes Moroccan autonomy sole basis for negotiations on the Sahara
  5. 27 OctAttaf and Lavrov discuss the Sahara at Moscow meeting
The whole story: 22 articles →

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Washington eases MINURSO reorganisation in the Sahara

The second version of the US draft resolution on the Sahara eases the terms for reorganising MINURSO, while maintaining Morocco’s autonomy plan as the basis for negotiations and providing for the mission to be renamed. Distributed on 26 October, the text is due to be put to a Security Council vote on 31 October, according to Lebrief.

🇲🇦 Morocco · Source: Lebrief ·

Russia backs extending MINURSO mandate in the Sahara

Russia says the Sahara conflict must be resolved through political means in line with UN Security Council resolutions. In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman also said she supported extending MINURSO’s mandate, while reserving Russia’s position on the US draft resolution, according to Yabiladi.

🇲🇦 Morocco · Source: Yabiladi ·

UN makes Moroccan autonomy sole basis for negotiations on the Sahara

UN Security Council Resolution 2797 shifted autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty from a solution that “could constitute” a basis to the “sole basis” for negotiations. The change occurred within a year, according to TelQuel, which traces the steps before the 31 October 2025 vote.

🇲🇦 Morocco · Source: TelQuel ·

Sahara draft resolution restores self-determination

The Security Council draft resolution on the Sahara reintroduces self-determination in its operative provisions and no longer presents Moroccan autonomy as the only viable solution. The text also removes criticism of the Polisario Front and threats of further measures, TSA reports ahead of Friday’s scheduled vote.

🇲🇦 Morocco · Source: TSA ·

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