Morocco comments on the non-extension of the United Nations Mission in Western Sahara

On Friday evening, the Moroccan Royal Court issued a statement commenting on the UN Security Council’s failure to extend the mission of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), explaining that this mission, inherited from an outdated context, constituted a tool to internationalize the conflict. On Friday, the Security Council voted on a draft resolution submitted by Russia regarding Western Sahara, which received the support of 3 members, the United States opposed, and 11 countries abstained from voting.

The United Nations said: “The draft on extending the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MONURSO) was not adopted because it did not obtain the required majority of the 15 members of the Council.” A draft resolution submitted by the United States on Western Sahara was met with a Russian veto, with 3 countries abstaining from voting and 11 countries supporting it. The Moroccan Royal Court said in a statement published by the official Moroccan news agency: “The United Nations Security Council, during its meeting held on October 30, 2026, did not extend the mission of the MINURSO mission, which constitutes an important development and a step of great significance towards the final folding of the (Moroccan Sahara) file within the corridors of the United Nations.” The statement added that this prominent development coincides with the commemoration of “Unity Day,” which was approved by the Moroccan monarch, King Mohammed VI, to embody the rupture in dealing with this issue, and the transition from the mere logic of management to an approach based on a profound transformation of the determinants.

The Moroccan Royal Court went on to say in its statement: “Thus, not extending the (MINURSO) mission clearly means that the presence of this mission in the southern regions of the Kingdom, especially through its crews, vehicles, equipment and symbols, should end in the coming days.” The statement explained: “It is a page that has lasted 35 years, and has been closed from now on. This mission, inherited from an outdated context, has long constituted a tool for the internationalization of the regional conflict related to the Kingdom of Morocco’s legitimate recovery of its Sahrawi territories.”, according to what was reported by the Moroccan News Agency.

He stressed: “Moreover, failure to extend MINURSO’s mission must put an end to referring this file to the Security Council, and withdrawing this issue from its agenda. Accordingly, there will be no justification for holding regular regular meetings of the Council dedicated to the Moroccan Sahara, nor for the relevant reports of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, nor for the briefings of his personal envoy.”

The Moroccan Royal Court stressed that thus “the international political path, which has unfortunately been characterized by the procrastination of other parties and their insistence on creating a state of stagnation and perpetuating the status quo, will come to an end. Similar steps will also be taken in the near future within other United Nations bodies.” Morocco expressed its satisfaction with this development, and stressed that it remains firmly committed to the ceasefire, with full respect for the safety and integrity of its territory and national security.

The statement explained that "the international dynamism launched by King Mohammed VI has enabled the mobilization of important support, as more than two-thirds of the members of the United Nations, including permanent members of the Security Council and influential international powers, support the autonomy initiative, within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty, as the only framework for resolving this regional conflict." The UN Security Council recently adopted a draft American resolution supporting Morocco’s 2007 proposal to grant Western Sahara autonomy under its sovereignty, which was rejected by Algeria and the Polisario Front, which are demanding a referendum on the right to self-determination for the Sahrawi people. Morocco and the Polisario Front are fighting over Western Sahara after Spain abandoned power in 1976.

Mauritania withdrew its claim to control it in 1979. After negotiating a truce in 1991, the United Nations and European Union described Western Sahara as a “non-self-governing territory.”

The United Nations has sought to reach a settlement of the Western Sahara issue since Spain's withdrawal and the ensuing fighting between Morocco and the Polisario Front, with the support of Algeria.