UN extends Western Sahara mission amidst abstentions and Algerian protest

The UN Security Council renewed the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for another year on October 31, though the decision was marked by abstentions from Russia and Mozambique, while Algeria opted not to vote.

Algeria proposed two amendments aimed at supporting a political solution, but these were not adopted. U.S. representative Robert A. Wood, whose country authored the resolution, emphasized the…