The United States has moved to explicitly link the future of the UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, MINURSO, to a political process based on Morocco’s autonomy plan, marking a significant shift in Washington’s approach as the UN Security Council prepares to reassess the mission later this month.
Speaking on Wednesday before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, American Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Washington had insisted that any renewal of MINURSO’s mandate be tied to “a genuine political process taking Morocco’s autonomy plan as the basis for negotiations.”
The remarks were delivered during a hearing on UN reform and US priorities.
The statement went beyond a reaffirmation of US support for Morocco, conditioning the very architecture of the UN mission on a defined political trajectory.
Since 1991, MINURSO has long struggled to define its role amid political deadlock imposed by the Polisario and Algeria driven by ideological anachronism and unrealistic approaches now made obsolete thanks to the latest UN Security Council reoslutions, notably that of last November which clearly defines the autonomy plan as the most feasible solution.
Waltz said the United States, working with the United Nations, was seeking to resolve what he described as a “conflict frozen for nearly 50 years,” underscoring mounting impatience in Washington with a status quo increasingly viewed as ineffective.
US officials have repeatedly questioned whether MINURSO, in its current form, remains fit for purpose.
That skepticism has also been reflected in previous congressional debates. Over the years, lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns about the mission’s cost, limited operational impact and lack of progress toward a political settlement.
During earlier budget hearings, US officials hinted that peacekeeping operations that merely preserve stalemate, including MINURSO, may face deeper scrutiny as part of broader UN reform efforts.
The latest comments come as the Security Council prepares for a critical review of MINURSO. Closed consultations are scheduled for April 24, followed by the presentation on April 30 of a strategic review by UN Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres. The mission’s mandate, priorities and long‑term future are all on the table.
The shift in tone also coincides with recent moves in the U.S. Congress related to the Polisario Front. Several senators and members of the House of Representatives have in recent months pushed for reviews to designate the polisario as a terrorist organization.
US diplomacy has intensified alongside these developments. Washington has hosted and facilitated talks involving Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the Polisario, while engaging Algiers on the autonomy path more directly.
