UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ends after 35 years, UN chief says

November 2, 2026 10:51 AM

UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara ends after 35 years, UN chief says

The 35-year-old UN peacekeeping mission in the Western Sahara region will come to an end after the Security Council failed to renew its mandate, the UN chief said on Sunday. Morocco, which claims the Western Sahara as its own, welcomed the decision, while its opponents in the Algeria-backed Polisario Front expressed concern. The Polisario Front has been seeking an independent state in Western Sahara since former colonial power Spain left in 1976. A peacekeeping mission, known as MINURSO, has ...

UN calls for Western Sahara talks based on Morocco’s autonomy plan

November 1, 2025 9:10 AM

UN calls for Western Sahara talks based on Morocco’s autonomy plan

The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on Friday stating that genuine autonomy for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty could be the most feasible solution to Rabat's 50-year conflict with the Algeria-backed Polisario Front. Western Sahara, a tract of desert the size of Britain, has been the scene of Africa's longest-running territorial dispute since colonial power Spain left in 1975. The U.N. Security Council, in a U.S.-drafted text, called for the parties to engage in ...

Trump reaffirms support for Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara

August 3, 2025 10:51 AM

Trump reaffirms support for Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara

U.S. President Donald Trump has reaffirmed support for Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara, saying a Moroccan autonomy plan for the territory was the sole solution to the disputed region, state news agency MAP said on Saturday. The long-frozen conflict pits Morocco, which considers the territory as its own, against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks an independent state there. Trump at the end of his first term in office recognised the Moroccan claims to Western Sahara, whic...