Morocco vows to maintain Western Sahara ceasefire after UN mission ends
Morocco has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the ceasefire in Western Sahara despite the termination of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the disputed territory.
The 35-year-old UN mission ended after the Security Council declined to renew its mandate last week, removing the international presence that had monitored the ceasefire in the long-running conflict.
The dispute involves Morocco, which claims sovereignty over Western Sahara, and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, a political and military movement seeking independence for the territory following Spain’s withdrawal as the colonial power in 1976.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Morocco’s Royal Palace said the country’s “voluntary commitment” to the ceasefire would remain unchanged despite the end of the UN mission.
The statement followed a meeting chaired by King Mohammed VI, attended by the prime minister, a royal adviser and the army chief.
While Morocco welcomed the decision not to renew the peacekeeping mission, the Polisario Front expressed concern, and Algeria described the development as a matter of deep regret.
Morocco controls the main urban centres and coastline of Western Sahara. During the 1980s, it constructed a 2,700-kilometre security wall across the territory, leaving most of the area under its control.
The Polisario Front operates mainly east of the wall, with rear bases in the Tindouf region of southwestern Algeria, where it also administers refugee camps.
In 2020, the group announced that it had resumed armed resistance after Morocco took control of a border crossing with Mauritania. However, the United Nations continues to describe the conflict as being of low intensity.
The Royal Palace argued that the UN mission had failed to guarantee compliance with the ceasefire and that some of its original responsibilities had become outdated.
King Mohammed VI also called for continued vigilance to protect Morocco’s territorial integrity, national security and the peace of its citizens.
Last week, the palace suggested that the termination of the mission would remove the Western Sahara issue from the UN Security Council’s consideration.
Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Nasser Bourita, said in an interview with state media on Saturday that the country’s next objective was to have Western Sahara removed from the UN Committee on Decolonisation.
He claimed that Rabat had secured the support of two-thirds of UN member states for the move.
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