🔗 Share this article

The UN Security Council has adopted a American-supported measure that supports Morocco's claim regarding the disputed territory, despite fierce resistance from Algeria.

Divided Vote Bolsters Morocco's Position

Although the recent decision was split, the measure represents the strongest support yet for Morocco's plan to maintain sovereignty over the territory, which also enjoys backing from the majority of EU countries and a growing number of African nation partners.

Measure Framework and Key Elements

The resolution refers to Morocco's proposal as a basis for negotiation. As with earlier measures, the text makes no mention of a referendum on independence that includes sovereignty as an choice, which constitutes the approach long favored by the pro-independence Polisario Front and its supporters.

Real autonomy under Morocco's sovereignty could represent a very practical resolution.

Background Information

The territory is a phosphate-rich area of coastal desert the area of Colorado which was under Spain's control until the mid-1970s. It is asserted by both the Moroccan government and the Polisario Front, which operates from refugee camps in southwestern neighboring Algeria and claims to represent the Sahrawi people indigenous to the contested territory.

Voting Patterns and Global Reactions

The United States, which proposed the resolution, guided eleven nations in deciding in favor, while 3 countries – multiple nations – declined to vote. The neighboring country, Polisario's main benefactor, did not vote.

Mike Waltz, the American ambassador to the UN, said the vote had been "historic" and would "advance the momentum for a much-delayed peace in the region".

Amar Bendjama, the Algerian ambassador to the United Nations, said that while the resolution was an advancement on earlier iterations, it "still has a number of shortcomings".

Peacekeeping Mission and Future Assessment

The measure also renews the UN security operation in the territory for another twelve months, as has been done for over thirty years. Prior renewals, however, have not contained a mention to Morocco and its supporters' favored resolution.

The UN resolution calls on all sides involved to "seize this unique opportunity for a lasting peace." Depending on developments, it asks the secretary general to review the peacekeeping mission's mandate within half a year.

Regional Consequences and Current Conditions

The change could unsettle a protracted process that for decades has eluded settlement, desdespite a UN peacekeeping mission that was intended to be temporary. Demonstrations have followed in Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria this week, where people have pledged not to abandon their struggle for independence.

Morocco administers nearly all of Western Sahara, excluding a thin area called the "free zone" that lies to the east of a Moroccan-built sand wall.

Past Background and Current Events

A 1991-era truce was meant to facilitate a referendum on self-determination, but disagreements over participation criteria prevented it from taking place.

Through time, the Moroccan government has transformed the disputed region, constructing a deepwater port and a 656-mile road. Government subsidies keep basic commodity prices low, and the population has grown significantly as Moroccan citizens establish homes in cities such as Dakhla and Laayoune.

The movement ended the ceasefire in 2020 after clashes near a route Morocco was constructing to neighboring Mauritania.

The group has subsequently frequently reported military operations, while the government has mostly denied open conflict. The UN calls it "limited tensions".

International Diplomacy and Future Possibilities

In response to the proposed measure, Polisario said that it would not participate in any process intending "to 'legitimise' Morocco's illegal presence," adding resolution "cannot happen by supporting expansionism".

The conflict represents the driving force in north African diplomacy. Morocco views endorsement of its proposal as a benchmark for how it gauges its international partners.

Last October, the UN envoy proposed partitioning the territory, a proposal neither side accepted. He urged the government to clarify what self-rule would involve and warned that a absence of progress might question the UN's function and "if there remains opportunity and readiness for us to still be useful."

The push to reassess the UN operation comes as the United States slashes financial support for UN programmes and organizations, including security operations.