MINURSO dismisses chief engineer as Sahara mission downsizing deepens

MINURSO is quietly continuing the staff reduction policy it launched nearly a year ago. The UN mission’s chief engineer, Laith Haddadin, has been dismissed, Yabiladi has learned from a source familiar with the matter.

In this key position, Haddadin oversaw transport infrastructure and logistics operations serving MINURSO’s observation posts on both sides of the Sand Wall.

In September 2025, Yabiladi exclusively revealed the closure of three of these observation posts. The three remaining posts could eventually face the same fate. The move forms part of a broader and gradual downsizing of the mission’s resources. MINURSO had already relinquished one of its helicopters, previously used to monitor the ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario and to transport peacekeepers.

The departure of the chief engineer may signal a deeper restructuring of the mission. A few weeks ago, MINURSO terminated the contracts of around 20 doctors and nurses and shut down its hospital in Laâyoune.

According to our information, further departures of international staff could be announced in the coming weeks. MINURSO’s strategic review now appears to be well underway and is expected to culminate in a UN Security Council resolution redefining the mission’s mandate in light of the new context created by the adoption of Resolution 2797 on October 31, 2025.