US Proposal Would Drop Referendum From MINURSO’s Name and Cut Troop Numbers by Half
In a draft dated October 20, Washington proposes renaming MINURSO as MINUSO, removing the referendum from its name. The United States is also considering cutting its uniformed personnel by half and turning the mission into a political structure from May 2027.
Only one word would disappear, but the organization of the UN mission in Western Sahara would be profoundly changed. The “United Nations Mission for the Organization of a Referendum in Western Sahara” would become the “United Nations Mission for Western Sahara,” abbreviated MINUSO.
The change appears in the first of the 14 paragraphs of the US draft dated October 20 and sent to members of the Security Council on October 22. According to the Spanish news agency Europa Press, Washington also plans to reduce uniformed personnel by at least 50% before January 31, 2027.
The peacekeeping mandate would end on April 30. From May 1, the mission would continue its activities under a special political status until October 31, 2027. These deadlines give concrete shape to the transformation of MINURSO sought by Rabat.
Moroccan autonomy as the only feasible solution
The change goes far beyond staffing levels. In paragraph 9, the US text presents genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as “the only feasible solution” to the conflict. It makes Morocco’s expanded and updated autonomy proposal the sole basis for negotiations.
The 2025 resolution 2797, by contrast, described autonomy as one of the most feasible outcomes. The preamble to the new draft retains references to self-determination and a mutually acceptable solution.
Washington is also asking the UN envoy to consult Sahrawis in the territory, the camps and the diaspora, and the UN refugee agency to register refugees in Tindouf within six months.
The Polisario responded on October 22: in a letter to the Security Council, it threatened to withdraw from the peace process if the draft is adopted without substantial changes.
The Security Council must decide before October 31, when MINURSO’s current mandate expires.