UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - In a divisive vote, the United Nations Security Council on Friday extended for a year its peacekeeping mission in disputed Western Sahara and demanded urgent restoration of its full functionality after Morocco expelled international civilian staff.
Rabat's retaliation against the mission, known as MINURSO, came after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon referred to Morocco's 1975 annexation of Western Sahara after colonial power Spain's withdrawal as an "occupation." The U.N. has said the expulsions have crippled the mission