Mandate

Mandate 

The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) was established by Security Council Resolution 690 of 29 April 1991 in accordance with UN/OAU settlement proposals accepted on 30 August 1988 by Morocco and the Frente Popular para la Liberación de Saguia el-Hamra y de Río de Oro (Frente POLISARIO). 

The settlement proposals, as approved by the Security Council, provided for a transitional period for the preparation of a referendum in which the people of Western Sahara would choose between independence and integration with Morocco. 

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General was to have sole and exclusive responsibility over matters relating to the referendum and was to be assisted in his tasks by an integrated group of civilian, military and civilian police personnel, to be known as the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. 

MINURSO was originally mandated in accordance with the settlement proposals to: 

  • monitor the ceasefire; 

  • verify the reduction of Moroccan troops in the Territory; 

  • monitor the confinement of Moroccan and Frente POLISARIO troops to designated locations; 

  • take steps with the parties to ensure the release of all Western Saharan political prisoners or detainees; 

  • oversee the exchange of prisoners of war, to be implemented by International Committee of the Red Cross, (ICRC); 

  • repatriate the refugees of Western Sahara, a task to be carried out by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); 

  • identify and register qualified voters; 

  • organise and ensure a free and fair referendum and proclaim the results; 

  • reduce the threat of unexploded ordnances and mines. 

While the referendum has never taken place, MINURSO has continued to perform the following tasks entrusted to it by the UN Security Council: 

  • Monitor the ceasefire; Since the ceasefire broke down in 2020, MINURSO has continued to be deployed on both sides of the disputed territory observing military developments and activities by the parties, investigating and reporting on conflict-related incidents, and serving as a mechanism to de-escalate conflict; 

  • Reduce the threat of explosive ordnance through its mine action programme; 

  • Provide operational and logistical support to the work of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara; 

  • MINURSO provided logistic support to the UNHCR-led Confidence Building Measures programme with personnel and air and ground assets, and remains ready to resume its support to the UNHCR if and when its activities, suspended in June 2014, were to resume.