DST News: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of a possible escalation of violence in the disputed Western Sahara region following the end of a 35-year UN peacekeeping mission.

“The Secretary-General said he remains concerned about the security situation throughout the territory and the risk of hostilities escalating,” his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said in a statement on Sunday.

Guterres also confirmed that the mission had officially ended after the UN Security Council (UNSC) failed to renew its mandate on Friday.

He urged all parties involved to “exercise maximum restraint and to refrain from actions that could further increase tensions or undermine regional stability”.

November 1 marked the beginning of the mission’s liquidation phase, during which its assets will be returned to the countries that contributed troops, Guterres said.

The UN established the Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire and prepare a referendum on the territory’s future.

Morocco has claimed Western Sahara as its territory since 1975, when Spain withdrew from the desert region in northwestern Africa, an area roughly the size of Britain.

The Polisario Front, an Algeria-backed movement representing the Indigenous Sahrawi people, seeks independence for the territory through the establishment of a state known as the Sahrawi Republic.

At Friday’s Security Council meeting, the United States proposed a resolution supporting the principle of self-determination in Western Sahara. The draft called for extending MINURSO’s mandate by one year, removing the word “referendum” from its name and making Morocco’s autonomy proposal the sole basis for future negotiations.

Russia vetoed the proposal, despite 11 of the council’s 15 members voting in favour, including permanent members France and the United Kingdom.

The council subsequently rejected a competing Russian resolution, leaving MINURSO without a renewed mandate and bringing its operations to an end.

“While MINURSO’s peacekeeping operations have concluded, the United Nations stands ready to continue supporting efforts to advance dialogue and pursue a peaceful resolution of the conflict,” Guterres said on Sunday.

‘Deep regret’

Morocco’s royal palace described the failure to renew MINURSO’s mandate as a “significant development”, saying it would help remove the Western Sahara issue from the Security Council’s consideration.

Algeria’s Foreign Ministry, however, expressed “deep regret” on Saturday over the decision, blaming what it called the United States’ “excessive bias” towards Morocco’s position.

The Polisario Front also voiced concern over the deadlock at the Security Council.

Speaking after Friday’s vote, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz described the use of Russia’s veto to preserve the word “referendum” in the mission’s name as “truly unfortunate”.

He said Washington’s proposal could have helped move the 50-year-old conflict forward, adding that maintaining the status quo was unacceptable.

Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia defended Moscow’s decision, saying the proposed resolution favoured one side in the dispute.

“We stress the fact that the Security Council cannot automatically predetermine matters relating to sovereignty,” he said.

Source: Al Jazeera