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The UN Security Council has passed a American-supported measure that supports Morocco's claim regarding the disputed territory, notwithstanding fierce opposition from Algeria.

Split Vote Bolsters Morocco's Position

Although the recent decision was divided, the measure represents the strongest endorsement yet for Moroccan proposal to maintain sovereignty over the territory, which also has support from most European Union countries and a growing number of African partners.

Measure Framework and Important Elements

The document describes Morocco's proposal as a foundation for talks. As with earlier measures, the text makes no mention of a vote on self-determination that contains independence as an option, which constitutes the approach long supported by the independence-seeking Polisario Front and its allies.

Genuine autonomy under Morocco's authority could constitute a most practical solution.

Background Information

The territory is a phosphate-rich area of coastline desert the size of a US state which was under Spanish rule until the mid-1970s. It is claimed by both the Moroccan government 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 International Responses

The US, which sponsored the measure, guided 11 countries in deciding in favor, while three nations – multiple nations – declined to vote. Algeria, Polisario's main supporter, 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 much-delayed resolution in the region".

Amar Bendjama, the Algeria's ambassador to the United Nations, said that while the measure was an improvement on earlier iterations, it "contains a series of deficiencies".

Security Mission and Future Review

The measure also extends the United Nations security operation in the territory for an additional year, as has been done for more than thirty years. Prior renewals, though, have not contained a reference to Morocco and its allies' preferred resolution.

The measure calls on all parties involved to "take this unique opportunity for a enduring resolution." Based on developments, it requests the UN leader to review the peacekeeping mission's mandate within six months.

Area Impact and Present Situation

The shift could unsettle a protracted situation that for decades has eluded settlement, notwithstanding a UN security mission that was designed to be temporary. Demonstrations have followed in indigenous settlements in the neighboring country this recent period, where people have pledged not to give up their fight for independence.

Morocco administers nearly all of Western Sahara, except for a narrow strip known as the "liberated area" that lies east of a Moroccan-built sand wall.

Historical Background and Recent Developments

A 1991 truce was meant to facilitate a referendum on independence, but disagreements over voter eligibility blocked it from taking place.

Through time, Morocco has transformed the contested region, building a deepwater port and a long road. Government support keep food and energy costs low, and the population has grown significantly as Moroccans settle in urban areas such as Dakhla and Laayoune.

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

The group has since regularly reported security operations, while Morocco has mostly rejected claims of active fighting. The UN describes it "limited tensions".

Global Relations and Coming Prospects

Reacting to the proposed measure, the movement said that it would not participate in any process aiming "to validate Morocco's unauthorized military occupation," saying resolution "can never be achieved by supporting expansionism".

The conflict constitutes the driving force in north African international relations. Morocco considers support for its proposal as a standard for how it gauges its international partners.

Last October, the UN representative suggested partitioning Western Sahara, a suggestion no party accepted. He urged Morocco to clarify what self-rule would involve and warned that a lack of progress might question the UN's role and "if there remains opportunity and readiness for us to still be useful."

The initiative to reassess the UN operation comes as the US slashes funding for United Nations initiatives and organizations, including security operations.