US considers ending MINURSO military mission as Trump administration pushes UN peacekeeping cuts

The administration of US President Donald Trump is seeking to wind down several United Nations peacekeeping operations, including MINURSO in the Moroccan Sahara, citing their high costs and limited progress toward resolving longstanding disputes.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz outlined the administration’s position in comments reported by the Financial Times over the weekend, arguing that peacekeeping missions operating for decades should not automatically continue without measurable political progress.

Waltz said Washington was pushing to reform the UN by reducing expenditure, reassessing peacekeeping mandates and examining whether missions established 30, 40 or 50 years ago were delivering results.

His remarks come ahead of the October 31 expiration of MINURSO’s current mandate, as the UN Security Council considers proposals that could substantially reshape the mission’s operations.

According to the reported US draft resolution, Washington proposes ending MINURSO’s military component by April 30, 2027, before converting the operation into a special political mission for a transitional period lasting until October 31, 2027.

The proposal also calls for reducing the mission’s uniformed personnel by at least 50% by the end of January 2027.

On the political track, the draft reportedly identifies Morocco’s autonomy proposal under Moroccan sovereignty as the exclusive basis for negotiations and describes it as the only viable solution to the Sahara dispute.

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