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In Berlin on Tuesday, May 13, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for «shaping» peacekeeping operations to better adapt to budget cuts. «We are now facing the highest number of conflicts since the foundation of the United Nations», Guterres warned during his speech at the opening of the biennial ministerial summit on peacekeeping operations.
He called for a review of peace operations to make them more adaptable, flexible and resilient. «We must recognize that peacekeeping operations are only as effective as the mandates directing them and can struggle in contexts where political support and clearly defined outcomes and solutions are absent or elusive», he cautioned.
Guterres’ remarks also touched upon MINURSO, the UN mission in Western Sahara. For several weeks, voices have been rising in Morocco calling for the end of the peacekeepers' mandate in the region.
«The geopolitical context, both regional and global, that led to the creation of MINURSO has evolved considerably. The very role of this UN mission is now being questioned, especially after the Polisario blocked traffic at the El Guerguerate crossing and triggered, since November 13, 2020, a 'war,' thus violating the ceasefire agreement of September 26, 1991», stated Bachir Eddkhil in an interview with Yabiladi last April.
