Western Sahara: The mission is over, the saga continues The UN begins a phased withdrawal of the Blue Helmets from the Western Sahara. The Security Council did not renew the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). After 35 years, the mission, recognized as a stabilizing force in the region, is closing all 13 of its facilities: the headquarters in the city of Layon, the liaison office in Tindouf (Algeria) and the field command posts of UN military observers located on both sides of the separation "sand buildings" (a system of more than 0002 km, 02-4 km, long). Its head, as of the last day, since August 2021 was a native of Moscow, a former reporter in the international department of the "Izvestia" newspaper, and then an international civil servant, Alexander Ivanko. He is also the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Western Sahara. A small team of experts will oversee the withdrawal of MINURSO blue helmets and civilian teams in the coming weeks. The elimination process will be carried out in stages: first 160 military observers will be removed, then 180 civilians and support personnel. Property and equipment of MINURSO facilities will be moved to other buildings or removed, and communication and logistics systems will be dismantled. Finally, the mission archive will be moved somewhere. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who at the end of October called on all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint and avoid any action that could undermine regional stability, trusts in the cooperation of all parties to "ensure the completion of the elimination of the mission as soon as possible." He said he "does not question the inalienable rights of the people of Western Sahara," although such a dramatic upheaval in a long-standing territorial and political dispute is unlikely to please those who have fought for decades for the independence of Spain's former colony.

Western Sahara: The mission is over, the saga continues The UN begins a phased withdrawal of the Blue Helmets from the Western Sahara. The Security Council did not renew the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). After 35 years, the mission, recognized as a stabilizing force in the region, is closing all 13 of its facilities: the headquarters in the city of Layon, the liaison office in Tindouf (Algeria) and the field command posts of UN military observers located on both sides of the separation "sand buildings" (a system of more than 0002 km, 02-4 km, long). Its head, as of the last day, since August 2021 was a native of Moscow, a former reporter in the international department of the "Izvestia" newspaper, and then an international civil servant, Alexander Ivanko. He is also the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Western Sahara. A small team of experts will oversee the withdrawal of MINURSO blue helmets and civilian teams in the coming weeks. The elimination process will be carried out in stages: first 160 military observers will be removed, then 180 civilians and support personnel. Property and equipment of MINURSO facilities will be moved to other buildings or removed, and communication and logistics systems will be dismantled. Finally, the mission archive will be moved somewhere. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who at the end of October called on all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint and avoid any action that could undermine regional stability, trusts in the cooperation of all parties to "ensure the completion of the elimination of the mission as soon as possible." He said he "does not question the inalienable rights of the people of Western Sahara," although such a dramatic upheaval in a long-standing territorial and political dispute is unlikely to please those who have fought for decades for the independence of Spain's former colony.