Rabat – Spanish news outlet El País has reported that Morocco and the US are intending to significantly reduce the personnel and operating costs of the UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, MINURSO.
El País quoted sources in Morocco’s southern province of Laayoune in contact with the UN mission who said that Rabat and Washington aim to reduce MINURSO’s personnel in the region as well as its operating costs, which stood at €60 million (MAD 649 million) in 2025.
The sources stated that MINURSO’s budget is the lowest it has been in 35 years.
The news comes as the US has acknowledged that it is assessing possibilities for winding down UN missions like MINURSO.
In February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio laid out US policy in the Department’s Agency Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2026–2030. The document states that Washington will “lead efforts to wind down costly and ineffective peacekeeping and special political missions around the world.”
In March, the Trump administration confirmed the news, stating plans to review peacekeeping forces, including MINURSO.
“We’re looking at a strategic review of the peacekeeping force in Western Sahara that has been there for 50 years,” US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said.
The US plan aims to ensure that peacekeeping operations do not continue “indefinitely” without results.
Waltz said the decision aims to streamline costly UN operations. He recalled the closure of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, a move expected to save $87 million annually, adding that efforts to end the special political mission in Yemen are projected to save $25 million per year.
Last year, Atlantic Council analyst Sarah Zaaimi stated that MINURSO “only served to maintain a state of paralysis throughout the year.”
“For the past thirty-four years, MINURSO has consistently deceived the Sahrawi people by failing to deliver on its mission,” she said, urging Washington to “defund, dismantle, and terminate it.”
Many observers consider MINURSO’s mandate obsolete, particularly following the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2797 in October 2025, which identifies Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the basis for negotiations to end the dispute.
The news of US plans to reduce MINURSO’s budget comes as the UN Security Council will vote on a new resolution later this month to extend the mission’s mandate in Western Sahara.
In his annual report on Western Sahara this year, UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the importance of the 2025 resolution, which gave momentum to the UN-led political process.
The resolution also revived talks facilitated by the US and involving Algeria’s regime, which continues to reject its responsibility in the dispute, defying the resolution and appeals calling for its full engagement to contribute to finding a mutually acceptable and agreed-upon political solution. While Guterres acknowledged challenges in the dossier, he said he is optimistic about its prospects, believing a solution remains possible to end the lingering dispute.
