🔗 Share this article

The UN Security Council has approved a American-supported resolution that favors Moroccan position regarding the disputed territory, despite strong opposition from neighboring Algeria.

Split Decision Strengthens Moroccan Stance

Although Friday's decision was divided, the measure represents the strongest endorsement yet for Morocco's plan to retain control over the region, which additionally enjoys support from the majority of EU countries and a increasing number of African nation allies.

Measure Framework and Important Components

The resolution describes Morocco's plan as a basis for talks. As with previous resolutions, the text makes no mention of a vote on self-determination that includes independence as an choice, which constitutes the solution long supported by the pro-independence Polisario Front and its allies.

Real self-rule under Moroccan authority could represent a very feasible solution.

Background Information

The territory is a phosphate-rich stretch of coastline desert the size of a US state which was under Spanish control until the mid-1970s. It is asserted by both the Moroccan government and the Polisario movement, which functions from refugee camps in southwestern Algeria and claims to speak for the indigenous people native to the disputed territory.

Decision Results and Global Reactions

The US, which proposed the resolution, led eleven nations in deciding in favor, while 3 countries – Russia, China and Pakistan – abstained. Algeria, Polisario's main supporter, did not participate.

The US ambassador, the US ambassador to the UN, said the vote had been "significant" and would "build on the progress for a long, long overdue resolution in the region".

The Algerian ambassador, the Algerian representative to the UN, commented that while the resolution was an improvement on earlier versions, it "still has a series of shortcomings".

Security Operation and Upcoming Review

The resolution also extends the UN security operation in Western Sahara for an additional twelve months, as has been done for more than three decades. Previous renewals, though, have not included a mention to Morocco and its allies' preferred outcome.

The UN resolution urges all sides participating to "seize this unprecedented chance for a enduring resolution." Depending on progress, it asks the secretary general to review the peacekeeping mission's authority within six months.

Regional Consequences and Present Conditions

The shift could unsettle a protracted situation that for decades has eluded resolution, notwithstanding a UN peacekeeping operation that was intended to be temporary. Protests have ensued in indigenous settlements in the neighboring country this recent period, where residents have pledged not to give up their fight for self-determination.

Morocco administers nearly all of the territory, excluding a thin strip known as the "free zone" that lies east of a constructed by Morocco barrier.

Historical Context and Recent Developments

A 1991 truce was intended to facilitate a referendum on independence, but fighting over participation criteria blocked it from taking place.

Through time, the Moroccan government has developed the disputed territory, building a maritime facility and a long road. State support keep food and energy costs low, and the resident count has grown significantly as Moroccan citizens settle in urban areas such as major settlements.

The movement withdrew from the truce in 2020 after confrontations near a route the government was constructing to neighboring Mauritania.

The movement has since regularly reported military activity, while the government has mostly denied active fighting. The UN calls it "low-level tensions".

International Relations and Future Prospects

Reacting to the proposed measure, Polisario said that it would not participate in any process aiming "to 'legitimise' Morocco's unauthorized military occupation," adding resolution "cannot happen by supporting expansionism".

The conflict represents the driving force in north African diplomacy. The Moroccan government considers endorsement of its autonomy plan as a standard for how it assesses its international partners.

Recently, the UN representative suggested dividing Western Sahara, a proposal no party accepted. He urged the government to specify what self-rule would involve and cautioned that a absence of progress might question the UN's role and "whether there is space and willingness for us to remain effective."

The push to review the UN operation comes as the US slashes funding for United Nations initiatives and agencies, covering peacekeeping.