Morocco celebrated on Thursday after a United Nations Security Council vote defeated a resolution to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), causing the mission’s mandate to expire.
MINURSO, established in 1991, was tasked with monitoring the cease‑fire between Morocco and the Polisario Front and organising a long‑delayed referendum on self‑determination for the disputed Sahrawi territory.
The Security Council’s decision not to renew the mission’s mandate means that the UN’s on‑the‑ground presence in Western Sahara has come to an end, halting its limited monitoring role over the truce that has held for more than three decades.
Moroccan officials welcomed the outcome, describing it as a diplomatic victory that reflects growing international acceptance of Morocco’s claim to sovereignty over Western Sahara.
The defeat of the resolution leaves the future of the UN’s involvement in the conflict uncertain, while the Polisario Front and its supporters have warned that the expiration of MINURSO’s mandate could increase tensions in the region.
<small>Source: Al Jazeera — read the original story there.</small>
