Morocco celebrates end of Minurso mission in Western Sahara
The mission ended after a diplomatic standoff between the US and Russia prevented the Security Council from renewing its mandate.
Morocco has welcomed the conclusion of the Minurso peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara following a failure in the Security Council to renew its mandate on Friday. According to BBC News, a US-backed proposal was vetoed by Russia, while a rival Russian draft to extend the mission also failed to get enough votes.
The mission's mandate expired at the end of Saturday, 31 October. The UN stated that the mission has entered a liquidation period with a reduced team managing the transfer of assets and military equipment.
The US proposal sought to change the mission's name by omitting the word referendum and establishing Morocco's autonomy plan as the only basis for negotiations. While 11 of the 15 Security Council members supported this, Russia vetoed it, claiming it favoured Morocco. A Russian draft to extend the mission without changes received only two votes.
Sidi Omar, the representative for the Polisario Front, thanked Russia for the veto, stating the US proposal would torpedo the foundations of the peace process. Morocco said the mission's personnel and equipment should depart the territory in the coming days, arguing the Security Council should no longer consider the issue.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the right to self-determination for the Sahrawi people must be respected and warned of the risk of renewed hostilities. Minurso had 155 military personnel and was expected to cost $62m in the financial year starting in June.
