Western Sahara: Vote on a Draft Resolution Renewing MINURSO’s Mandate*
This afternoon (31 October), the Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for one year, until 31 October 2026. The draft resolution in blue calls on the parties to engage in negotiations “taking as basis Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal, with a view to achieving a final and mutually acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara”. The draft text—which was authored by the US, the penholder on the file—also calls for the Secretary-General to provide a strategic review regarding MINURSO’s mandate within six months.
The negotiations on the text were contentious, and it seems unlikely that there will be a unanimous adoption. A resolution renewing MINURSO’s mandate has not been adopted unanimously since 2017. In 2024, Algeria chose not to participate in the vote on resolution 2756 following its failed attempt to get two amendments to the draft resolution adopted ahead of the vote. (For background on the negotiations on resolution 2756 of 31 October 2024, the most recent renewal of MINURSO’s mandate, please see our 31 October 2024 What’s in Blue story.)
Background
The Secretary-General’s latest report on Western Sahara, covering developments from October 2024 to August 2025, describes a tense but largely static situation in the territory marked by continued low-intensity hostilities between Morocco and the Polisario Front.
During the reporting period, Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General Staffan de Mistura continued consultations with Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco, and the Polisario Front, as well as with Security Council members and other stakeholders. The report notes that Morocco restated that its autonomy plan—which would grant autonomy to Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty—should serve as the basis of negotiations on a permanent solution, while the Polisario Front maintained that the Settlement Plan jointly proposed by the UN and the Organisation for African Unity (OAU)—which calls for self-determination through a referendum—should serve as the sole reference framework for talks. Among other stakeholders, France, the UK, and the US have publicly expressed support for Morocco’s autonomy plan, Algeria has reiterated its support for the Polisario position while maintaining that it is not a party to the conflict, and Mauritania has upheld its “positive neutrality”. No progress was made during the reporting period towards reconvening formal negotiations or reinstating the ceasefire that collapsed in 2020.
The Secretary-General’s report concludes by urging all parties to re-engage with the UN process towards a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution that ensures self-determination for the people of Western Sahara. It calls for the restoration of the ceasefire, improved cooperation with MINURSO, greater humanitarian support, and renewed regional dialogue, while recommending that the Security Council extend MINURSO’s mandate for another year—a position that de Mistura apparently reiterated to Council members in closed consultations on the Secretary-General’s report held on 10 October.
On 20 October, the Polisario Front submitted to Secretary-General António Guterres an “expanded proposal” that it says could allow for the inclusion of a solution similar to Morocco’s autonomy plan, so long as it is supported by the Sahrawi population in a referendum that also proposes independence as a possible option.
Negotiations on the Draft Resolution
The US circulated an initial draft of the text to all Council members on 22 October and convened a round of negotiations on 24 October. The following day, the penholder circulated a revised draft, inviting comments until Monday (27 October). On Tuesday (28 October), the US circulated a second revised draft and put it under silence procedure, which Algeria broke. On Thursday (30 October) the US circulated a third revised draft to Council members, which it requested be put in blue for a vote on Friday (31 October).
The penholder’s initial draft apparently extended MINURSO’s mandate for three months, until 31 January, and called on the parties to engage in negotiations on the basis of Morocco’s autonomy proposal with a view to achieving—prior to the expiration of the mandate—a final political and mutually acceptable solution that provides for a genuine autonomy within the Moroccan state while providing for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. It also requested the Secretary-General to provide recommendations for the transformation or termination of MINURSO based on the outcome of the negotiations. It seems that the short extension period was intended to put pressure on the parties to reach a permanent settlement as the conflict approaches its 50th anniversary, which falls in November.
Several Council members expressed reservations during the first round of negotiations. Among other issues, these members sought a longer extension period and viewed the text as biased in favour of Morocco’s position by describing its autonomy plan as the most serious, credible, and realistic solution and positing it as the basis for talks—a view that these members argued did not reflect Council members’ differing positions. Algeria apparently said that the draft did not provide a basis for them to engage in negotiations.
In the first revised draft, the US extended the renewal period to six months, until 30 April 2026, and included language proposed by the UK that welcomed constructive suggestions from the parties in response to Morocco’s autonomy plan. It also revised a preambular paragraph that had apparently taken note of the support expressed by member states for the plan, qualifying the support as that expressed by “most” states. Other references to the plan received some technical edits but largely remained the same. In response to the draft, Algeria apparently requested the addition of language taking note of other frameworks—such as the Polisario Front’s “expanded proposal”—and calling for negotiations on the basis of all submitted options.
In the second revised draft that the US put under silence procedure, it seems that the penholder deleted the description of the Moroccan autonomy plan as the most serious, credible, and realistic alternative for a settlement. The draft text still posited the Moroccan proposal as the basis for negotiations, however, and it did not incorporate references to other options, as proposed by Algeria, which broke silence on the draft and requested consultations that were held on Tuesday afternoon (28 October) to discuss the draft.
Algeria apparently expressed its dissatisfaction with the draft during the consultations. It seems that several other Council members, both during Tuesday’s consultations and in written comments following Algeria’s break of silence, maintained that the text could have expressed a more balanced and less definitive view of the Moroccan autonomy plan. Some apparently also echoed Algeria’s concern about the Polisario Front’s expanded proposal not being referenced.
The third revised draft, which was put directly into blue on Thursday (30 October) without an additional silence period, extends the mandate of MINURSO for 12 months. Whereas earlier drafts had proposed a shorter term for the mandate, several members apparently reiterated their call for a one-year mandate renewal during the 28 October consultations, which was also consistent with the Secretary-General’s recommendation in his most recent report on Western Sahara.
The draft resolution in blue takes note that “many Member States” have expressed support for Morocco’s autonomy proposal as “a basis for a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution to the dispute”. It further recognises that “genuine autonomy” could represent “a most feasible outcome”, while encouraging the parties to submit ideas supporting “a final mutually-acceptable solution”. While this language is unlikely to be satisfactory to all members, it represents an evolution towards less definitive language compared to earlier drafts; for example, the first revised draft had affirmed that genuine autonomy “under Moroccan sovereignty is the most feasible solution”. However, the draft text in blue once again does not refer to the Polisario Front’s expanded proposal, which is problematic for Algeria and some other members.
The final draft text in blue removes preambular language that would have taken note of US President Donald Trump’s call for the parties to engage in discussions without delay using Morocco’s autonomy proposal as “the only framework to negotiate a mutually acceptable solution”. It appears that this text was omitted due to the objections of three members.
Given the divisive nature of the negotiations and the concerns about the final text, there are likely to be robust explanations of vote reflecting the views expressed during the negotiations.
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**Post-script: On 31 October, the Security Council adopted resolution 2797, renewing the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for one year, until 31 October 2026. The text received 11 votes in favour, three abstentions (China, Pakistan, and Russia), while Algeria did not vote.
