Rival US and Russian resolutions on Western Sahara fail at UN

What the report says

The UN Security Council has rejected competing US- and Russian-backed resolutions on Western Sahara, leaving the future of the UN peacekeeping mission there unresolved. According to Al Jazeera’s reporting, the vote took place on Friday and came just before the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, known as MINURSO, was due to expire on Saturday unless a last-minute deal was reached.

The US-drafted resolution, supported by 11 of the 15 council members, was vetoed by Russia. A separate Russian draft then failed to receive the nine votes needed for adoption. The US text would have extended MINURSO for another year, while also removing “referendum” from the mission’s name and treating Morocco’s autonomy plan as the main basis for future talks. Russia objected that the proposal favored one side.

Western Sahara is a disputed former Spanish colony in northwest Africa. Morocco claims the territory, while the Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, wants independence and a vote on self-determination. MINURSO was created in 1991 to oversee a ceasefire and prepare for a referendum, but the vote has never been held because of disagreements over who would be eligible to participate.

The outcome adds uncertainty to the mission’s future and to UN efforts to manage the long-running conflict, which has seen low-level fighting since Polisario said it resumed armed struggle in 2020.