🔗 Share this article UN Backs Resolution Supporting Morocco's Claim on Western Sahara UN's top security body has adopted a US-backed measure that endorses Moroccan claim regarding the disputed Western Sahara, notwithstanding strong opposition from neighboring Algeria. Divided Vote Strengthens Moroccan Position While Friday's decision was divided, the measure constitutes the strongest support to date for Moroccan plan to maintain sovereignty over the region, which also enjoys support from the majority of EU countries and a growing number of African nation allies. Resolution Structure and Important Components The document refers to Morocco's proposal as a basis for negotiation. As with previous measures, the document doesn't include a referendum on self-determination that includes independence as an choice, which represents the solution long favored by the pro-independence Polisario movement and its supporters. Real self-rule under Moroccan authority could represent a most practical resolution. Historical Information The territory is a mineral-rich area of coastline desert the size of a US state which was under Spain's control until the mid-1970s. It is claimed by both the Moroccan government and the Polisario Front, which functions from refugee camps in southwestern Algeria and asserts to represent the Sahrawi people indigenous to the contested region. Decision Results and International Reactions The US, which proposed the measure, led 11 nations in voting in favor, while 3 nations – multiple nations – declined to vote. The neighboring country, the movement's main benefactor, did not participate. Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the United Nations, stated the vote had been "historic" and would "build on the progress for a long, long overdue peace in Western Sahara". The Algerian ambassador, the Algeria's representative to the UN, said that while the resolution was an improvement on earlier versions, it "contains a series of deficiencies". Security Operation and Future Assessment The measure also extends the UN security operation in Western Sahara for another year, as has been implemented for more than three decades. Prior extensions, however, have not contained a mention to Moroccan and its supporters' favored outcome. The UN resolution urges all sides participating to "take this unprecedented chance for a enduring peace." Depending on developments, it asks the secretary general to review the operation's mandate within half a year. Regional Impact and Present Situation The change could disrupt a long-stalled situation that for decades has escaped resolution, notwithstanding a United Nations peacekeeping mission that was intended to be short-term. Protests have ensued in Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria this week, where residents have vowed not to give up their struggle for self-determination. The Moroccan government controls nearly all of the territory, excluding a narrow strip called the "liberated area" that lies east of a Moroccan-built sand wall. Historical Background and Current Events A 1991 ceasefire was intended to pave the way for a referendum on independence, but fighting over participation criteria prevented it from taking place. Over the years, the Moroccan government has developed the contested region, building a deepwater port and a long highway. Government subsidies keep basic commodity prices low, and the resident count has ballooned as Moroccans settle in cities such as Dakhla and Laayoune. The movement ended the truce in 2020 after confrontations near a route the government was constructing to Mauritania. The group has subsequently regularly reported security operations, while the government has mostly rejected claims of open conflict. The UN calls it "low-level tensions". Global Diplomacy and Coming Possibilities In response to the proposed measure, Polisario said that it would not participate in any initiative aiming "to validate Morocco's unauthorized military occupation," adding resolution "can never be achieved by supporting territorial claims". The conflict constitutes the driving force in regional international relations. The Moroccan government views support for its proposal as a benchmark for how it assesses its allies. Last October, the UN representative proposed dividing the territory, a proposal no party accepted. He encouraged Morocco to specify what autonomy would entail and warned that a lack of development might raise questions about the United Nations' role and "whether there is space and readiness for us to remain useful." The push to reassess the United Nations Mission comes as the United States reduces funding for United Nations initiatives and agencies, including security operations.