algerianow

After the UN Mission Lapsed, Polisario Offers Talks and Rabat Pledges to Hold the Ceasefire

8 November 2026 · Algeria Now

A week after the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) lost its mandate, both sides to the conflict have restated their positions as the General Assembly prepares to debate the Security Council deadlock on Monday, 9 November. On 4 November the Sahrawi foreign minister, Mohamed Yeslem Beissat, said the Polisario Front does not reject negotiations with Morocco, provided they form a serious political process that guarantees the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination. The same day, Rabat said it would keep its "voluntary" commitment to a ceasefire while protecting its territorial integrity and national security.

What lapsed, and what did not

MINURSO was created in 1991 under a settlement plan that promised a referendum. On 30 October the Security Council failed to renew it: a US draft was vetoed by Russia, and a competing Russian draft did not win enough votes. The mandate expired the next day, and the UN has begun winding down its presence in Laayoune. Washington's text would have dropped "referendum" from the mission's name and made Morocco's autonomy plan the basis for progress, which is Rabat's stated position. Beissat has argued that the outcome preserved the legal basis of self-determination, while warning that "the alternative to diplomacy is war".

Legally, nothing has changed. Western Sahara remains on the UN list of non-self-governing territories. The International Court of Justice found in 1975 that no tie of territorial sovereignty linked the territory to Morocco, and the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in 2024 that the Sahrawi people's consent is required for any agreement affecting the territory. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on 1 November, through his spokesperson, that the end of the mission does not cancel Sahrawi rights, and his Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, remains in post.

Algeria's position and the risks ahead

Algeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed deep regret over the lapse on 31 October. Its UN ambassador, Amar Bendjama, told the Council that no outcome can be imposed. Algeria's support for self-determination is rooted in its own struggle against colonial rule. Algiers hosts about 173,600 Sahrawi refugees near Tindouf.

Analysts warn of a new danger. Riccardo Fabiani of the International Crisis Group has cautioned that an incident in the buffer zone, which UN observers no longer monitor, could trigger wider escalation.

On Monday the General Assembly will examine the vetoes under the procedure adopted in 2022, and Algeria is expected to state its position. The debate cannot restore the mission, but it will show who still backs a UN-led settlement.

More from Algeria Now

{{ hero.ago }} · {{ stT.sum }}

{{ svAllLabel }} ›

> {{ svFeat.catLabel }} {{ svFeat.title }} {{ svFeat.meta }}

{{ mt.whenU }} {{ mt.home.name }}{{ mt.hsL }} {{ mt.away.name }}{{ mt.asL }}

#{{ t.cols.p }}{{ t.cols.gd }}{{ t.cols.pts }}

{{ r.pos }} {{ r.name }} {{ r.played }} {{ r.gdLabel }} {{ r.pts }}

{{ s.rank }} {{ s.name }}{{ s.team }} {{ s.goals }}

“

After the UN Mission Lapsed, Polisario Offers Talks and Rabat Pledges to Hold the Ceasefire

More from Algeria Now

{{ svCur.title }}

{{ SB.title }}

{{ art.title }}

{{ p.text }}

{{ nxT.same }}

{{ searchTitle }}

Your daily window into Algeria

{{ VT.videos }}

{{ svStTitle }}

{{ g.label }}

{{ t.loginTitle }}

{{ t.archives }}

{{ t.advSearch }}

{{ hero.title }}

{{ une2.title }}

{{ stT.k1 }}

{{ VT.videos }}

{{ t.scores }}

{{ t.table }}

{{ st.scorers }}

{{ VT.sport }}

{{ sec.label }}

{{ it.title }}

{{ t.feed }}

{{ catListTitle }}