In a development of major significance for Morocco’s territorial integrity, the United Nations Security Council today did not renew the mandate of the peacekeeping mission, known as MINURSO, a move Rabat described as the withdrawal of the file for the UN.
Russia and the US vetoed each other’s resolutions renewing the mandate of the mission for a year.
A statement issued by the Royal Cabinet described the decision as “an important evolution and a significant step toward the definitive closure of the Moroccan Sahara file at the United Nations.”
The non-renewal comes as Morocco celebrates the Feast of Unity, decreed by King Mohammed VI to embody a profound shift in the management of the dossier, moving from a logic of mere management to one of deep transformation of its parameters.
With the mandate not renewed, the presence of MINURSO in the Kingdom’s southern provinces- including its personnel, vehicles, equipment and symbols – is expected to end in the coming days, according to the statement.
This closes a 35-year chapter, it said, adding that the Mission, inherited from an outdated and anachronistic context, had long served as an instrument for the internationalization of a regional dispute over Morocco’s legitimate recovery of its Saharan provinces.
The decision is also expected to bring an end to the Security Council’s formal consideration of the issue and its removal from the Council’s agenda, it said.
Consequently, the periodic statutory meetings of the Council on the Moroccan Sahara, the related reports of the UN Secretary-General, and briefings by his Personal Envoy will no longer take place.
The UN political process, long marked by the other parties’ procrastination, obstruction and determination to prolong the status quo, is thereby suspended, the statement added.
“Similar actions will be pursued in other UN bodies in the near future,” the Royal Office said.
While expressing satisfaction at this development, Morocco reaffirms its firm commitment to the ceasefire, in strict respect of its territorial integrity, national security and the peace of mind of its citizens.
“The international momentum launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI continues at both bilateral and regional levels,” the statement said.
It has already secured substantial support with more than two-thirds of UN member states, including permanent members of the Security Council and influential powers, clearly backing autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as the sole framework for resolving this regional dispute, it said.
Today’s decision represents a clear recognition of the irreversibility of Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces and a major advance toward the definitive resolution of the issue in line with the Kingdom’s legitimate rights and the growing international consensus.
