The UN Security Council failed to renew its peacekeeping mandate in Western Sahara
The UN Security Council failed to renew the MINURSO peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara after rival US and Russian resolutions failed on October 30, a day before its mandate expired. Russia vetoed the US proposal, which would have made Morocco’s autonomy plan the sole basis for talks. The US voted against Russia’s alternative, which lacked the support needed to pass.
More context
The UN Security Council failed Friday to renew the mandate of MINURSO, its peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, after competing US and Russian proposals failed a day before the mandate was due to expire. Russia vetoed the US-sponsored draft, which would have extended the mission for a year, made Morocco’s autonomy plan the sole basis for negotiations and reduced the mission’s military component. Russia’s UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia said the council could not “automatically predetermine” questions of sovereignty. The United States voted against Russia’s alternative, which proposed extending the existing mandate for a year; the draft failed to win the nine affirmative votes required. The sources give different tallies for the Russian proposal. Morocco controls most of Western Sahara, which the Algeria-backed Polisario Front claims and seeks to make independent.
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Reporting
- Al Jazeera — Rival US and Russian resolutions on Western Sahara fail at UN | Border Disputes News | Al Jazeera
- Devdiscourse — Competing US, Russia resolutions on Western Sahara defeated in UN Security Council
- Deutsche Welle — US, Russia block rival Western Sahara resolutions
- SSBCrack — UN Security Council Fails to Extend Peacekeeping Mission in Western Sahara
- thetelegraph.com — Rival US and Russia resolutions on disputed Western Sahara are defeated in UN Security Council
- wsrw.org — Western Sahara Resource Watch
- urdupoint.com — UN Security Council Fails To Extend Western Sahara Mission Mandate After Rival Vetoes
Verifier’s note
Al Jazeera, Devdiscourse, the Telegraph, Western Sahara Resource Watch, Deutsche Welle, Urdupoint, and SSBCRACK report that the competing proposals failed and the mission’s mandate was not renewed. Some results blur the distinction between Russia vetoing the U.S. draft and the U.S. voting against the Russian proposal, but both proposals failed.