🔗 Share this article

UN's top security body has adopted a US-backed resolution that supports Morocco's claim regarding the contested territory, notwithstanding strong opposition from neighboring Algeria.

Divided Vote Bolsters Morocco's Position

While Friday's vote was split, the resolution constitutes the most significant endorsement to date for Moroccan plan to retain control over the territory, which also has support from most European Union members and a growing number of African nation allies.

Resolution Framework and Important Elements

The document describes Morocco's plan as a basis for negotiation. As with earlier measures, the document doesn't include a vote on self-determination that contains sovereignty as an choice, which represents the solution traditionally favored by the pro-independence Polisario Front and its allies.

Real self-rule under Morocco's sovereignty could represent a very feasible resolution.

Historical Context

The territory is a mineral-rich area of coastal arid land the size of Colorado which was under Spain's control until the mid-1970s. 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 speak for the Sahrawi people indigenous to the contested region.

Decision Patterns and International Responses

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

The US ambassador, the US representative to the United Nations, said the vote had been "historic" and would "build on the momentum for a long, long overdue peace in Western Sahara".

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

Peacekeeping Mission and Future Assessment

The measure also extends the UN security operation in Western Sahara for an additional twelve months, as has been done for more than three decades. Prior renewals, however, have not included a reference to Moroccan and its supporters' preferred outcome.

The UN resolution calls on all parties involved to "take this unique opportunity for a lasting peace." Depending on developments, it asks the UN leader to assess the operation's authority within half a year.

Area Impact and Present Situation

The shift could disrupt a protracted process that for many years has escaped resolution, desdespite a UN peacekeeping operation that was designed to be short-term. Demonstrations have ensued in indigenous settlements in the neighboring country this week, where residents have pledged not to abandon their fight for independence.

Morocco controls nearly all of the territory, except for a thin area known as the "liberated area" that lies east of a Moroccan-built sand wall.

Past Background and Current Developments

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

Over the years, the Moroccan government has transformed the contested territory, building a deepwater port and a long highway. Government subsidies keep food and energy costs low, and the resident count has grown significantly as Moroccan citizens settle in cities such as Dakhla and Laayoune.

Polisario withdrew from the truce in recent years after clashes near a road Morocco was constructing to neighboring Mauritania.

The group has since regularly reported security operations, while Morocco has primarily denied open conflict. The UN calls it "limited hostilities".

Global Diplomacy and Coming Prospects

Reacting to the draft resolution, Polisario stated that it would not join any process intending "to validate Morocco's illegal military occupation," saying peace "cannot happen by supporting territorial claims".

The conflict constitutes the central issue in regional international relations. The Moroccan government considers support for its proposal as a benchmark for how it assesses its international partners.

Last October, the UN representative suggested partitioning the territory, a proposal no party accepted. He urged Morocco to specify what self-rule would involve 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 reassess the UN operation comes as the United States reduces funding for UN programmes and agencies, covering peacekeeping.