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The UN Security Council has approved a US-backed resolution that endorses Morocco's position regarding the contested Western Sahara, despite significant resistance from Algeria.

Split Vote Strengthens Moroccan Stance

Although the recent vote was split, the resolution constitutes the most significant support yet for Morocco's proposal to maintain sovereignty over the territory, which also has support from most EU countries and a growing number of African partners.

Resolution Framework and Key Components

The document refers to Moroccan plan as a basis for negotiation. Similar to previous resolutions, the document doesn't include a referendum on self-determination that includes sovereignty as an option, which constitutes the approach long supported by the independence-seeking Polisario movement and its allies.

Real autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty could represent a most practical resolution.

Background Context

Western Sahara is a mineral-rich stretch of coastline desert the area of a US state which was under Spanish rule 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 asserts to speak for the Sahrawi people indigenous to the disputed territory.

Decision Results and Global Responses

The United States, which proposed the measure, led 11 countries in deciding in favor, while 3 nations – Russia, China and Pakistan – declined to vote. Algeria, Polisario's primary benefactor, did not participate.

Mike Waltz, the US representative to the UN, stated the vote had been "historic" and would "build on the progress for a long, long overdue resolution in the region".

The Algerian ambassador, the Algerian ambassador to the United Nations, commented that while the measure was an advancement on earlier iterations, it "still has a series of shortcomings".

Peacekeeping Mission and Upcoming Review

The measure also extends the UN security mission in the territory for an additional twelve months, as has been implemented for over thirty years. Previous renewals, however, have not included a reference to Moroccan and its allies' preferred resolution.

The measure calls on all sides participating to "seize this unprecedented opportunity for a lasting resolution." Depending on progress, it asks the secretary general to review the peacekeeping mission's authority within half a year.

Area Impact and Present Situation

The change could disrupt a long-stalled situation that for decades has escaped settlement, notwithstanding a UN security operation that was intended to be temporary. Protests have followed in Sahrawi refugee camps in the neighboring country this recent period, where people have pledged not to abandon their struggle for independence.

Morocco administers almost all of Western Sahara, excluding a narrow strip called the "liberated area" that lies to the east of a Moroccan-built barrier.

Historical Context and Current Events

A 1991-era ceasefire was meant to facilitate a referendum on independence, but fighting over participation criteria blocked it from occurring.

Over the years, Morocco has developed the disputed region, constructing a deepwater port and a 656-mile road. Government support keep food and energy costs low, and the population has grown significantly as Moroccans settle in urban areas such as major settlements.

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

The movement has since regularly documented military operations, while the government has primarily denied active fighting. The United Nations calls it "low-level hostilities".

Global Relations and Future Possibilities

Reacting to the proposed measure, the movement stated that it would not participate in any process intending "to 'legitimise' Moroccan illegal presence," saying resolution "cannot happen by rewarding expansionism".

The situation constitutes the central issue in regional diplomacy. The Moroccan government considers endorsement of its autonomy plan as a standard for how it gauges its allies.

Last October, the UN envoy suggested dividing the territory, a suggestion neither side accepted. He encouraged the government to specify what self-rule would entail and cautioned that a lack of development might raise questions about the UN's role and "if there remains opportunity and willingness for us to remain effective."

The initiative to review the United Nations Mission comes as the US slashes financial support for UN programmes and agencies, including security operations.