What changed
King Mohammed VI has assigned Morocco’s Interior Ministry responsibility for coordinating MINURSO’s orderly liquidation and withdrawal after the UN Security Council failed to renew the mission’s mandate on October 30.
At a November 4 meeting in Rabat, Morocco’s civilian security authorities and the Royal Armed Forces’ Southern Zone were instructed to protect territorial integrity, national security and citizens in the southern provinces, while maintaining the ceasefire and continuing development projects in the Sahara.
Why it matters
Morocco is preparing to manage the mission’s departure through an existing coordination office, putting the practical mechanics of the withdrawal inside the Interior Ministry. The arrangement signals cooperation with the United Nations, but also gives Moroccan authorities a central role in the transition once MINURSO is gone.
The king has reaffirmed Morocco’s voluntary commitment to the ceasefire. That commitment is intended to continue after the mission leaves, even as the Royal Cabinet argues that MINURSO’s original role and its ability to monitor violations no longer fit current conditions.
The key uncertainty is operational: no timetable has been set for the withdrawal, and the statement does not explain how ceasefire monitoring will work afterward or how MINURSO’s facilities, vehicles and equipment will be handled.
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