Politics

Morocco welcomes Security Council's decision not to extend MINURSO mission

Morocco's Royal Court said the UN Security Council did not extend the mandate of the UN mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO) at its meeting on Friday, 30 October 2026. In an official statement, the Court called the development a highly significant step toward closing the Sahara file at the United Nations for good. Media reports said the statement also expressed the kingdom's satisfaction with the outcome.

سكاي نيوز عربيةSaturday, October 31, 2026, 01:01Covered by 2 sources

Illustrative photo: Rolling sand dunes stretching across a wide desert under a clear sky. Photo by Emma Van Sant on Unsplash

Why it matters

MINURSO was set up in 1991 to oversee the ceasefire in Western Sahara, so any change to its mandate bears on one of North Africa's longest-running disputes. The other parties' reading of the decision and its practical effect on the ground are not yet clear from the available information.

Background

MINURSO is a United Nations mission dealing with the Western Sahara issue, and the Security Council is the body that decides whether UN missions continue. The issue has been before the UN for many years, and the parties involved hold differing positions on it.

Key points

According to RT Arabic, the Royal Court issued its official statement on Friday evening.
RT Arabic's headline says the non-extension "closes a 35-year chapter", a framing it attributes to the Royal Court in the headline without elaborating in the body text.
Sky News Arabia quoted the Royal Court as calling the non-extension an "important development".

How outlets covered it

Both outlets agree on the core fact: Morocco's Royal Court announced that the Security Council did not extend MINURSO's mandate. Sky News Arabia focused on the Court's description of the development as a step of great significance toward the final closure of the Sahara file at the UN, and it dated the Council meeting to Friday, 30 October 2026. RT Arabic's text stressed the official statement issued on Friday evening and the Kingdom's relief, and its headline adds the phrase "35 years", which does not appear in Sky News Arabia's report. Neither text includes reactions from other parties or details of the Council's deliberations.