Morocco Marks Green March Anniversary as UN Mission Ends
Morocco celebrated the 51st anniversary of the Green March while the United Nations Security Council allowed the MINURSO peacekeeping mandate to expire.
The Government of Morocco commemorated the 51st anniversary of the Green March on November 6, 2026, marking the 1975 mobilization that led to its control of most of Western Sahara. Celebrations in Laayoune included foreign diplomats and pro-Morocco Sahrawis, while independence supporters characterized the date as the beginning of occupation and displacement.
The anniversary follows a significant diplomatic shift after the United Nations Security Council failed to renew the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). The peacekeeping mission, which monitored a ceasefire and sought to organize a referendum for 35 years, officially expired on October 31, 2026.
Morocco welcomed the end of the mission and continues to advocate for autonomy under its own sovereignty, a position supported by France and the United States. In contrast, the Polisario Front, backed by Russia and Algeria, expressed regret over the nonrenewal and maintains its demand for a referendum on independence. El Mahjoub Maliha, a Polisario supporter, criticized the defunct UN mission for failing to preserve the ceasefire or secure a human rights mandate.
