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The UN Security Council has passed a US-backed resolution that supports Morocco's claim regarding the contested territory, notwithstanding significant opposition from neighboring Algeria.

Split Vote Strengthens Moroccan Position

While Friday's vote was split, the resolution represents the strongest endorsement yet for Morocco's proposal to retain sovereignty over the territory, which also enjoys support from most European Union members and a increasing number of African allies.

Measure Framework and Key Elements

The resolution refers to Morocco's plan as a basis for negotiation. As with earlier resolutions, the document doesn't include a vote on self-determination that includes sovereignty as an option, which represents the approach long favored by the independence-seeking Polisario Front and its allies.

Genuine self-rule under Moroccan authority could constitute a very practical resolution.

Background Context

Western Sahara is a phosphate-rich area of coastal desert the size of Colorado which was under Spanish rule until 1975. It is asserted by both Morocco and the Polisario movement, which operates from refugee camps in south-western neighboring Algeria and asserts to represent the indigenous people native to the contested territory.

Voting Results and Global Reactions

The US, which proposed the resolution, led 11 countries in deciding in support, while three countries – multiple nations – declined to vote. The neighboring country, Polisario's primary supporter, did not participate.

Mike Waltz, the American ambassador to the UN, stated the decision had been "significant" and would "build on the momentum for a long, long overdue resolution in the region".

The Algerian ambassador, the Algeria's representative to the United Nations, commented that while the resolution was an advancement on previous versions, it "contains a number of shortcomings".

Security Mission and Future Assessment

The measure also renews the UN peacekeeping mission in the territory for an additional year, as has been implemented for more than three decades. Prior renewals, however, have not contained a mention to Morocco and its supporters' preferred outcome.

The UN resolution urges all parties participating to "take this unprecedented chance for a lasting peace." Depending on developments, it asks the UN leader to assess the operation's mandate within half a year.

Area Impact and Current Situation

The shift could disrupt a protracted situation that for many years has eluded settlement, notwithstanding a United Nations peacekeeping operation that was intended to be temporary. Protests have ensued in indigenous settlements in the neighboring country this week, where residents have vowed not to give up their struggle for independence.

The Moroccan government administers nearly all of Western Sahara, excluding a narrow strip called the "free zone" that lies to the east of a constructed by Morocco sand wall.

Historical Context and Recent Developments

A 1991 truce was intended to pave the way for a referendum on self-determination, but disagreements over voter eligibility blocked it from taking place.

Through time, the Moroccan government has transformed the disputed region, constructing a maritime facility and a long road. State subsidies keep food and energy costs affordable, and the population has grown significantly as Moroccans settle in urban areas such as major settlements.

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

The movement has since regularly documented security activity, while the government has mostly rejected claims of active fighting. The UN calls it "low-level hostilities".

International Relations and Coming Prospects

In response to the draft resolution, Polisario said that it would not participate in any process intending "to 'legitimise' Morocco's unauthorized presence," adding peace "can never be achieved by rewarding territorial claims".

The conflict represents the driving force in regional international relations. Morocco views support for its proposal as a benchmark for how it assesses its allies.

Recently, the UN envoy proposed partitioning the territory, a suggestion neither side agreed to. He encouraged Morocco to clarify what autonomy would entail and cautioned that a absence of progress might question the UN's role and "whether there is space and readiness for us to remain effective."

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