Morocco has assigned an interior ministry office to coordinate and support the withdrawal of the United Nations mission in Western Sahara, after the Security Council failed to renew its mandate.
The Royal Cabinet said King Mohammed VI gave the instruction at a working session in Rabat on 4 November. It said the existing office for coordination with the mission would help with the winding-down and withdrawal process in cooperation with the UN.
The meeting followed the end of the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, known as MINURSO. Its peacekeeping operations have ceased, and a smaller UN team is to oversee the liquidation period, which began on 1 November.
The cabinet also reaffirmed Morocco’s commitment to the ceasefire, describing it as voluntary and saying it would not change with the mission’s departure. Morocco had already expressed that commitment in a statement on 30 October, after the Security Council meeting. The latest statement did not announce a new ceasefire agreement with the Polisario Front.
Head of government Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, royal adviser Fouad Ali El Himma, interior minister Abdelouafi Laftit and senior military official Mohammed Berrid attended the Rabat session, the cabinet said.
The king instructed the officials to apply existing priorities concerning national security, territorial integrity and the safety of residents, particularly in the area Morocco calls its southern provinces. He also called for development projects there to continue. The statement did not announce a new military deployment or identify a replacement international ceasefire-monitoring mechanism.
How the mission is being wound down
The UN secretary-general said the smaller liquidation team would report to the UN Department of Operational Support. Its work includes arranging the return of assets belonging to troop-contributing countries and the appropriate disposal of UN equipment. He called on the parties to cooperate so the process could be completed in an orderly way.
The Moroccan cabinet did not set a deadline for the withdrawal. Its statement described the role of the interior ministry office as coordinating and supporting the process, rather than replacing the UN team.
The Security Council failed to adopt either of two competing drafts on 30 October. Russia vetoed a US-backed proposal that would have altered the mission as well as extended it. A separate Russian proposal for an extension also failed to secure adoption. The mandate subsequently expired.
A disputed territory and an unfinished process
Western Sahara is a former Spanish colony whose status remains disputed. Morocco controls most of the territory and proposes autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty. The Algeria-backed Polisario Front seeks independence for the territory.
MINURSO was established in 1991 to support a settlement and ceasefire accepted by Morocco and the Polisario Front. The original settlement envisaged a referendum in which the people of Western Sahara could choose between independence and integration with Morocco. The vote never took place amid disagreements between the parties, including over who was eligible to vote.
The mission continued monitoring military activity after the Polisario announced in 2020 that it was resuming armed struggle. The UN has described the mission’s work after that point as including the investigation and reporting of conflict-related incidents and efforts to reduce escalation.
In its latest statement, the Moroccan cabinet argued that the mission had repeatedly been unable to monitor ceasefire compliance and that its original functions had been overtaken by events. Those are Morocco’s assessments. The UN secretary-general, by contrast, recognised the mission’s role in helping to monitor the ceasefire and create conditions for a political solution.
The secretary-general has expressed concern about the security situation and the risk of escalating hostilities, and called on all concerned to exercise maximum restraint. He said the mission’s departure did not remove the people of Western Sahara’s right to self-determination.
Ahead of the Rabat meeting, Morocco welcomed the failure to renew the mandate, while the Polisario expressed concern about the Security Council deadlock.
In its 30 October statement, Morocco argued that the end of the mission should also end the Security Council’s consideration of the issue. The UN secretary-general has said the organisation remains ready to support dialogue through his personal envoy, Staffan de Mistura, and to pursue a mutually acceptable political solution providing for self-determination.
Featured image: AI-generated illustration.
