UN peacekeepers face exit as rival vetoes block Western Sahara mission

The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara is set to end its operations this weekend after a stalemate at the Security Council. The mission, established in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire, loses its legal mandate on Saturday unless diplomats reach a final accord.

The deadlock began when Russia vetoed a US-backed resolution on Friday. That proposal had the support of 11 members of the 15-member council. The US draft sought to extend the mission for one year while removing the word referendum from its title. It also intended to make Morocco's autonomy plan the sole basis for future negotiations.

Following the veto, a rival Russian draft also failed to gain the nine votes required for adoption. The Russian plan would have renewed the existing mission without altering its structure or name. Vassily Nebenzia, the Russian ambassador to the UN, argued that the US version favored one side of the dispute.

Mike Waltz, the US ambassador, stated in New York that the referendum process had been stalled for decades. He supported the changes to move the peace process forward. In response to the failed renewal, the Moroccan royal palace said it welcomed the outcome. The palace stated that UN personnel and equipment should leave the territory.

The Polisario Front, which seeks independence for the Sahrawi Republic, also reacted positively to the veto. Sidi Omar, the group's representative at the UN, said the US proposal undermined the right to self-determination. The territory remains a former Spanish colony where Morocco claims sovereignty and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front asserts the right to statehood.

Low-level fighting has continued in the region since the Polisario Front resumed armed struggle in 2020. The mission's expiration leaves the area without a dedicated UN body to monitor the ceasefire or prepare for a vote.