Travel to Morocco Faces New Uncertainty as UN Winds Down Western Sahara Presence

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara stopped operating on Sunday after 35 years, the result of a U.S.-Russia deadlock at the U.N. Security Council over the future of the disputed territory. The mission's closure has raised concerns about stability in a region that spans Africa's northwestern Atlantic coast and borders southern Morocco.

Key facts

• The mission ceased operations on 1 November 2026, after 35 years.
• It was established in 1991 as the U.N. Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, known as MINURSO.
• A liquidation period began on 1 November 2026, run by a smaller U.N. team.
• Russia vetoed a draft U.S. resolution on Friday, and a rival Russian resolution to extend the mission was then voted down.
• Western Sahara is claimed by both Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front.

Why did the mission end?

The mission had been repeatedly extended since 1991, but the Security Council failed to agree on its future. On Friday, Russia vetoed a draft U.S. resolution that would have backed Morocco's claim to sovereignty over Western Sahara and ended the peacekeeping mission next year. A competing Russian resolution that would have extended the mission was then voted down, leaving the force's mandate to lapse abruptly.

What was the mission set up to do?

A U.N.-brokered cease-fire took effect in 1991, and the same settlement plan created MINURSO to monitor a referendum on self-determination, with independence among the options. That vote never took place. The U.N. classifies Western Sahara as a "non-self-governing territory," while critics of Morocco's control describe it as Africa's last colony.

Who claims Western Sahara?

Morocco administers nearly all of the territory, apart from a narrow strip east of a Moroccan-built sand wall known as the "free zone." After Morocco annexed Western Sahara in 1975, the dispute became an armed conflict lasting more than 15 years and claiming more than 16,000 lives on both sides, according to the French Senate. Rabat calls the territory its southern provinces and has secured backing from Washington, Paris and London.

The Polisario Front seeks independence for what it considers the homeland of the Indigenous Sahrawi people and operates from refugee camps in the Algerian city of Tindouf. Backed mainly by Algeria, Russia and South Africa, the movement has seen its international support dwindle in recent years. Morocco's royal palace welcomed the non-renewal of the mission, calling it an "instrument to internationalize the dispute," while the Polisario Front called the decision unacceptable and Algeria's foreign ministry said it profoundly regretted the non-renewal.

What this means for travellers

The end of the mission has raised concerns about stability in the region, which is rich in minerals and fisheries and roughly the size of Colorado. The source reports no changes to visas, border crossings, flights or entry rules for Morocco or Western Sahara, and no new travel guidance has been announced in connection with the mission's closure.

What comes next is the wind-down of the mission itself. U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said "This 1 November 2026 marks the start of the liquidation period," with a smaller team reporting to the U.N. Department of Operational Support overseeing the return of assets belonging to troop-contributing countries and the disposal of U.N. equipment. No further decision on the territory's status has been announced.