Washington seeks to change MINURSO mandate in Western Sahara
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on RFI
The United States proposes extending MINURSO’s mandate while substantially changing the role of the UN mission in Western Sahara. The Polisario Front believes the proposal targets it and threatens to leave talks, RFI reports less than 10 days before the Security Council vote.
The United States presented a draft proposal to the UN Security Council on Thursday 22 October 2026 to extend the mandate of MINURSO, the mission tasked with organising a referendum in Western Sahara, while substantially redefining its responsibilities, RFI reports. The proposal comes less than 10 days before the vote on renewing the mandate.
The US proposal quickly drew a reaction from the Polisario Front, the Sahrawi independence movement, which believes it is being targeted by the mission’s new direction, according to RFI. The UN is due to rule on renewing the mandate on 31 October, following the publication of the Polisario’s threat to leave the peace process on 22 October.
The US initiative follows discussions on the future of the mission and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s call for consultation with the Sahrawi people on 12 October. The Security Council had already scheduled the renewal of MINURSO’s mandate for 31 October in its work programme.
