Arabic version: المغرب يحتفل بانتهاء بعثة الأمم المتحدة في الصحراء الغربية

According to BBC News, Morocco has welcomed the end of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, known as Minurso, after the UN Security Council failed to agree on renewing its mandate. Russia vetoed a US-backed proposal, while a Russian draft to extend the mission also did not receive enough support.

Minurso was established in 1991 after Morocco and the Polisario Front agreed to a UN-brokered ceasefire following 16 years of fighting. Its role was to monitor the ceasefire and organise a referendum in which Sahrawis were meant to choose between independence and integration with Morocco. The vote, scheduled for 1992, was never held because of disputes over voter eligibility.

The mission’s mandate expired at the end of Saturday, 31 October. The UN said the following day that Minurso had entered a liquidation period, with a reduced team overseeing the transfer of military equipment and other assets. The mission had 155 military personnel and was expected to cost $62m (£46m) in the financial year beginning in June, according to a UN report.

Morocco’s royal palace welcomed the outcome, and celebrations were reported in Laayoune, the territory’s largest city. Moroccan expert Issam Laaroussi said Rabat could use the change to press its autonomy proposal, rather than a referendum on independence. The decision does not alter Western Sahara’s legal status or amount to international recognition of Moroccan sovereignty, however.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination must be respected and warned of renewed hostilities. Oxfam said the loss of Minurso’s monitoring and de-escalation role could undermine stability. Morocco says it remains committed to the ceasefire, while the Polisario Front has not said what it will do next.