{"id":6345,"date":"2026-11-01T16:42:54","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T16:42:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/?p=6345"},"modified":"2026-11-01T16:46:57","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T16:46:57","slug":"minursos-withdrawal-must-not-grant-legitimacy-to-occupation-or-absolve-the-united-nations-of-its-responsibilities-towards-the-sahrawi-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/?p=6345","title":{"rendered":"MINURSO’s Withdrawal Must Not Grant Legitimacy to Occupation or Absolve the United Nations of Its Responsibilities Towards the Sahrawi People"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

OFFICIAL STATEMENT<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adala UK expresses its profound concern and strong objection to the expiry of the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), following the Security Council’s failure to renew it. This development raises grave concerns about the future of international oversight in the territory and risks leaving the Sahrawi people increasingly exposed to violations and abuses, without effective international scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MINURSO was established in 1991 with a clear and specific purpose: to facilitate a referendum through which the Sahrawi people could exercise their right to self-determination. Thirty-five years later, the Mission is drawing to a close without the promised referendum having taken place and without the United Nations having fulfilled the fundamental commitment underpinning its establishment. This is not simply an administrative or diplomatic failure; it represents a profound failure by the international community to honour its obligations towards a people whose right to determine their own future remains unfulfilled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is the Sahrawi people who continue to bear the consequences of this failure. They face the realities of a prolonged conflict, the absence of a just settlement and the continued denial of their fundamental rights. The international community must not expect the Sahrawi people to accept decades of diplomatic inaction as an irreversible political reality. Nor must the termination of MINURSO become a means of setting aside the question of Western Sahara or treating the existing occupation as an inevitable and legitimate outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adala UK notes the statement issued on 1 November 2026 by the UN Secretary-General’s Spokesperson, St\u00e9phane Dujarric, concerning the continuing security concerns, the need for restraint by all parties and the United Nations’ commitment to a political solution guaranteeing the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination. However, repeated verbal assurances of support for that right are insufficient when the international presence on the ground is being withdrawn. International responsibility must be demonstrated through meaningful action, not statements alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adala UK warns that MINURSO’s departure, against the backdrop of\u00a0the\u00a0continuation\u00a0of\u00a0military\u00a0operations\u00a0 since November 2020, risks creating conditions in which further abuses may go unchecked and independent verification of developments on the ground becomes increasingly difficult. This is particularly concerning for Sahrawi civilians in the occupied parts of Western Sahara, whose access to effective international scrutiny and protection remains a serious concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organisation firmly emphasises that the expiry of MINURSO’s mandate does not alter Western Sahara’s status under international law as a Non-Self-Governing Territory. It does not confer internationally recognised sovereignty upon Morocco over the territory, legitimise the occupation, or validate any attempt to impose a political settlement that disregards the will of the Sahrawi people. Self-determination is an inalienable right. It cannot be replaced by political proposals or arrangements imposed unilaterally, irrespective of the degree of international support they may receive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adala UK further stresses that the Frente POLISARIO is recognised by the United Nations as the representative of the people of Western Sahara in the UN-led political process. Any negotiations or arrangements concerning the future of the territory must respect this representative capacity and must not become a vehicle for predetermining the outcome or circumventing the Sahrawi people’s right to choose their own future freely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adala UK therefore calls upon the UN Security Council and the Secretary-General to discharge their legal and political responsibilities as a matter of urgency. In particular, we call for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n