🔗 Share this article

UN's top security body has passed a US-backed resolution that endorses Moroccan position regarding the contested Western Sahara, notwithstanding fierce resistance from Algeria.

Divided Decision Strengthens Moroccan Stance

While the recent decision was split, the measure constitutes the strongest support yet for Moroccan plan to maintain control over the territory, which also has support from the majority of European Union countries and a growing number of African allies.

Measure Framework and Important Elements

The resolution refers to Morocco's plan as a basis for talks. Similar to earlier measures, the document doesn't include a vote on self-determination that includes sovereignty as an option, which constitutes the approach long favored by the pro-independence Polisario movement and its supporters.

Genuine autonomy under Moroccan authority could represent a very practical solution.

Historical Context

Western Sahara is a mineral-rich area of coastal desert the area of a US state which was under Spain's rule until 1975. It is asserted by both the Moroccan government and the Polisario movement, which operates from refugee camps in south-western neighboring Algeria and claims to represent the Sahrawi people indigenous to the contested region.

Voting Patterns and Global Reactions

The US, which proposed the measure, led eleven countries in voting in favor, while 3 nations – Russia, China and Pakistan – declined to vote. Algeria, the movement's primary benefactor, did not vote.

The US ambassador, the American ambassador to the United Nations, stated the vote had been "significant" and would "build on the progress for a long, long overdue resolution in Western Sahara".

The Algerian ambassador, the Algeria's representative to the UN, said that while the measure was an improvement on earlier iterations, it "contains a series of shortcomings".

Security Operation and Future Review

The measure also renews the UN peacekeeping operation in the territory for an additional twelve months, as has been implemented for more than three decades. Prior extensions, however, have not included a reference to Moroccan and its allies' preferred resolution.

The UN resolution calls on all parties participating to "seize this unprecedented opportunity for a enduring peace." Depending on developments, it requests the secretary general to review the operation's authority within six months.

Area Consequences and Current Conditions

The shift could disrupt a protracted process that for decades has escaped settlement, desdespite a UN security operation that was designed to be temporary. Demonstrations have ensued in Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria this recent period, where people have pledged not to abandon their struggle for independence.

The Moroccan government controls nearly all of Western Sahara, except for a thin area known as the "free zone" that lies to the east of a Moroccan-built barrier.

Historical Background and Recent Events

A 1991 ceasefire was meant to facilitate a vote on self-determination, but fighting over participation criteria prevented it from taking place.

Over the years, Morocco has transformed the contested region, constructing a deepwater port and a 656-mile road. State subsidies keep food and energy prices low, and the population has grown significantly as Moroccans establish homes in urban areas such as major settlements.

Polisario withdrew from the ceasefire in 2020 after clashes near a road Morocco was paving to neighboring Mauritania.

The movement has since frequently reported military operations, while the government has mostly denied active fighting. The United Nations calls it "limited tensions".

International Relations and Future Possibilities

In response to the draft resolution, the movement stated that it would not participate in any process aiming "to 'legitimise' Morocco's illegal presence," saying resolution "can never be achieved by supporting expansionism".

The conflict represents the driving force in regional international relations. The Moroccan government views endorsement of its proposal as a benchmark for how it gauges its allies.

Last October, the UN envoy suggested dividing the territory, a suggestion neither side agreed to. He encouraged Morocco to specify what self-rule would entail and warned that a lack of progress might raise questions about the UN's function and "whether there is space and readiness for us to remain useful."

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