The King tasks the Interior Ministry with accompanying MINURSO’s withdrawal
On 4 November 2026, Mohammed VI gathered in Rabat those who follow what comes next. The ceasefire holds. The UN, for its part, has started winding the mission down.
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4Nov
Working session chaired by the King, in Rabat.
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160observers
military personnel to be repatriated, according to the UN.
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180civilians
are to leave the mission, according to the UN.
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13sites
are to close, the UN said on 2 November.
What the King asked
On 4 November 2026, Mohammed VI chaired a working session at the Royal Palace in Rabat. The subject: what comes next, after the end of MINURSO’s tasks.
Four officials were with him.
- Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, head of government.
- Fouad Ali El Himma, adviser to the King.
- Abdelouafi Laftit, minister of the interior.
- General Mohammed Berrid, inspector general of the Royal Armed Forces and commander of the southern zone.
The King recalled the priorities already set on 30 October: the integrity of the territory, security, and the calm of the inhabitants, especially in the southern provinces. Development of those provinces continues.
A voluntary commitment that will not change with the end of the United Nations mission’s mandate.
That sentence from the statement is about the ceasefire. Morocco says it holds, even without the UN mission.
In plain words the King is not changing course. He wants an orderly departure of the mission, and he maintains the ceasefire.
Who handles the departure
The statement gives a precise instruction. The Office for coordination with MINURSO, which sits under the Interior Ministry, accompanies the liquidation and the withdrawal. Its role: to make the measures easier, so the departure happens in order.
What the UN says
The mission ceased operations at midnight on 31 October. On 1 November, liquidation began. On 2 November, the secretary-general’s spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, gave figures.
- About 160 military observers are to be repatriated.
- 180 civilian staff are to leave.
- 13 facilities are to close.
A reduced team, from the Department of Operational Support, stays on the ground to close the sites and transfer them. The UN describes a gradual closure: equipment, communications, archives, contracts.
Before this departure, the mission had its headquarters in Laayoune, nine bases (four west of the sand wall, five east) and a liaison office in Tindouf. Staff from more than 35 countries worked there.
António Guterres does not read the end of the mission as Morocco does. For him, this departure does not call into question the right to self-determination. The personal envoy, Staffan de Mistura, continues. The secretary-general calls on all parties to show restraint, and to cooperate so the liquidation ends quickly.
In plain words Morocco accompanies the departure and says the ceasefire holds. The UN is packing up, but it says the political file is not closed for all that.
Key dates
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At midnight, MINURSO ceases operations. The mandate was not renewed.
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Liquidation begins. António Guterres calls for restraint.
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The UN details the withdrawal: observers, civilians, closure of the sites.
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Royal session in Rabat. The Interior Ministry is tasked with accompanying the departure.
Source. Royal Cabinet statement, 4 November 2026, MAP: https://maroc.ma/fr/actualites/communique-du-cabinet-royal-10 — UN News, 1 and 2 November 2026: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/11/1168717 and https://news.un.org/fr/story/2026/11/1159772