UN Western Sahara mission shuts down after 35 years
Why it matters: The collapse of the mandate leaves a long-frozen territorial dispute without a UN buffer as Morocco and the Polisario Front remain at odds.
The United Nations' peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ended Nov. 1 after the Security Council failed to renew its mandate, closing a force that had operated since a 1991 ceasefire. The shutdown followed a clash between the United States and Russia over competing resolutions on the disputed territory's future. MINURSO now enters a liquidation phase, with UN assets set to be returned to troop-contributing countries and a smaller team overseeing the drawdown. Morocco, which controls most of Western Sahara and wants autonomy under its sovereignty, welcomed the move. The Algeria-backed Polisario Front and Algeria criticized the lapse, warning it deepens a diplomatic deadlock over a referendum on self-determination that was never held.