US and Russia Veto Rivals, Leaving UN Sahara Mission Without Mandate
A double veto at the Security Council halted the annual renewal of the peacekeeping force, forcing a standoff over Morocco’s autonomy plan.
By Grace Anderson ·
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara is currently operating without a mandate. This status resulted after Russia and the United States vetoed each other's competing resolutions at the UN Security Council. The action blocked the council's routine annual renewal of the mission, a decision that has typically passed without major conflict in previous years.
The dispute centers on the legal framework for resolving the conflict in the territory. The US-drafted resolution sought to establish Morocco's autonomy plan as the sole basis for negotiations. It would have reduced the military component of the mission and extended its mandate for another year. Crucially, the draft would have removed the word "referendum" from the mission's official name.
US Ambassador Michael Waltz argued that the change reflected reality. He stated that longstanding disagreements over voter eligibility had prevented the UN from holding a vote for decades. Waltz noted that UN officials have described this situation for thirty years. He criticized other council members for using their veto power to preserve the letter "R" in the mission's name.
Russia opposed the proposal, arguing that the council should not prejudge the territory's sovereignty. Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the Security Council cannot automatically pre-determine matters related to sovereignty. He described the US approach as one-sided and stated that his country was compelled to block the draft to avoid giving a blessing to it.
Following the first veto, the US moved to veto a Russian-drafted resolution. This alternative plan would have extended the mission's mandate for another year without changing its terms or name. Eleven members voted against the Russian draft. Nebenzia condemned the US decision, describing it as the political murder of the mission.
France and the United Kingdom backed the US resolution and Morocco's autonomy plan. The Polisario Front, an independence movement based in neighboring Algeria, has sought an independent state since Spain withdrew from the territory in 1976. Morocco claims historical rights to the area, which it calls its southern provinces. Last year, the Security Council endorsed Morocco's autonomy proposal as a basis for resolving the conflict.
The mission, known as Minurso, includes 155 military personnel. It was established to organize a referendum under a UN-brokered ceasefire. A report by the UN Secretary-General estimated the mission's cost at $62 million for the financial year beginning in June. Oxfam warned that losing the mission could put civilians at risk and undermine peaceful resolution efforts.
Most Sahrawis live in the part of Western Sahara under Moroccan control. Tens of thousands of others live in refugee camps run by the Polisario in Algeria. The rejected US resolution would have called on the UN refugee agency to conduct a census of these refugees. The mission remains in limbo as the Security Council seeks a path forward.
