The United Nations Security Council failed to renew the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (Minurso), ending the 35-year peacekeeping mission on October 31, 2026

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The UN said its 35-year-old peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara had come to an end after the Security Council did not renew its mandate

The United Nations established Minurso in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire in Western Sahara and organize a referendum on Western Sahara's self-determination following fighting that left at least 9,000 people dead

Morocco built a 2,700-kilometer security wall in the 1980s, securing control over Western Sahara's urban centers and coastline while Polisario operates east of the 2,700-kilometer wall and in Tindouf, Algeria

A rival Russian draft resolution to extend Minurso's mandate for one year without changing the mandate's original terms failed to pass the UN Security Council, receiving only two votes in favor

On October 30, 2026, Russia vetoed a US-backed UN Security Council proposal that would have extended Minurso for one year while framing Morocco's autonomy plan as the sole basis for negotiations

The Royal Palace of Morocco announced on November 4, 2026 that Morocco will voluntarily maintain the ceasefire in Western Sahara following a meeting led by King Mohammed VI

UN Secretary-General António Guterres and aid group Oxfam warned that the withdrawal of peacekeepers from the UN's Western Sahara mission, Minurso, increases the risk of escalation and renewed hostilities in Western Sahara

The UN announced on November 1, 2026 that Minurso, the UN's Western Sahara peacekeeping mission, entered a liquidation period with a reduced team overseeing the transfer of military equipment and assets out of Western Sahara

Polisario Front representative Sidi Omar thanked Russia for vetoing the US-backed UN Security Council resolution on Western Sahara, stating the proposal threatened the UN peace process

Minurso, the UN's Western Sahara peacekeeping mission, deployed 155 military personnel and had an expected budget of $62 million for the financial year beginning June 2026

Moroccan King Mohammed VI directed the interior ministry to coordinate and support the liquidation and withdrawal of Minurso peacekeepers from Western Sahara

Polisario Front adviser Oubi Bouchraya Bachir stated Polisario will exercise restraint in the field while continuing to pursue Sahrawi self-determination diplomatically and militarily

Morocco organized the Green March on November 6, 1975, sending 350,000 civilians into Western Sahara to pressure Spain before Spain signed the Madrid Accords ceding administrative control

Uganda first deployed troops to Somalia in 2007 under the African Union Mission in Somalia to protect the country's transitional government and repel militant forces

Uganda has begun withdrawing its Uganda People's Defence Forces troops from Somalia under a phased drawdown scheduled to complete all troop departures by the end of 2027

Ugandan army chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba announced that a first contingent of 109 Uganda People's Defence Forces troops departed Mogadishu, Somalia, on October 30, 2026

Taiwan National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu published a map tracking Chinese military vessel deployments on X in May 2026.

South Korea fired warning shots in response to repeated border crossings by North Korean troops, which Pyongyang characterised as provocations by armed rogues.

In December 2023, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un formally abandoned the goal of reunification and redefined South Korea as a separate, hostile state.

South Korean analysts state that Kim Jong-un redefined South Korea as a hostile state to remove contradictions in threatening nuclear war against people previously considered compatriots.