UN Security Council rejects both US and Russian resolutions on Western Sahara
Russia vetoes a US draft backing Moroccan sovereignty, then its own rival text fails to win enough votes, leaving the 35-year peacekeeping mission's mandate to lapse.
What to know
- Both a US-drafted resolution backing Moroccan sovereignty and a Russian-drafted resolution extending the peacekeeping mandate failed at the Security Council on the same day.
- Russia's veto killed the US text, which would have ended the 35-year MINURSO peacekeeping mission and dropped any referendum on Western Sahara's future.
- Russia's own rival resolution got only 3 of the 9 votes needed, with 11 abstentions, meaning the US did not even need to use its veto.
- The peacekeeping mission's mandate is set to expire Saturday (Oct 31) absent a last-minute initiative to extend it.
“que una autonomía genuina bajo soberanía marroquí es la única solución viable para negociar una solución mutuamente aceptable”
US draft resolution text, Quoted resolution language · Chicago Tribune (AP) ↗ · Oct 29
Sidi Omar Polisario Front UN representativeFrente Polisario Representative of the Sahrawi peopleRussia UN Security Council permanent memberUnited States Drafter of the vetoed resolutionMorocco Claimant of sovereignty over Western Sahara
How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts
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UN peacekeeping mission's mandate set to expire — The MINURSO mandate, in place for 35 years to monitor the 1991 ceasefire and prepare a referendum, expires Saturday unless a last-minute initiative is launched to revive it.
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Pro-Polisario voices hail Russia's veto as blocking Morocco's claim
Social media users framed Russia's veto as stopping US and French efforts to cement Moroccan control over the territory through the UN.
“Rusia da un paso histórico y frena los intentos imperialistas de EEUUy Francia de consagrar la ocupación marroquí al Sáhara Occidental a través de la ONU.”
— @TalebSahara -
Se alza la bandera rusa en los campamentos de refugiados saharauis en agradecimiento al histórico veto de Rusia a la resolución a través de la cual EEUU y Marruecos pretendían consagrar la ilegal ocupación marroquí en el Sáhara Occidental.
1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch
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Rusia da un paso histórico y frena los intentos imperialistas de EEUUy Francia de consagrar la ocupación marroquí al Sáhara Occidental a través de la ONU. El embajador de Rusia en la ONU acaba de alzar su mano anunciando el veto a esta resolución que finalmente no saldrá.
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Russian-drafted resolution also fails in Security Council — A Russian text that would have simply extended the peacekeeping mission's current mandate to October 31, 2027 received only 3 votes in favor, 1 against and 11 abstentions, falling short of the nine needed, so no US veto was required.
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Russia vetoes US-drafted resolution on Western Sahara — The US draft would have ended the UN peacekeeping mission by April 30, 2027, replaced it with a political mission that would no longer prepare a referendum, and declared Moroccan autonomy the only viable solution; Russia vetoed it.
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Polisario Front denounces the US draft resolution — In a letter to the Security Council dated October 22, the Polisario Front's UN representative Sidi Omar called the US draft an 'extremely dangerous and unprecedented deviation' from international law and the established peace process, warning Polisario could disengage entirely.
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Security Council first backs Morocco's sovereignty claim — Last year the UN Security Council approved a resolution endorsing Morocco's claim over Western Sahara, citing its autonomy proposal as the basis for negotiations and dropping mention of a self-determination referendum, aligning with the Trump administration's support for Morocco.