The UN Security Council has formally endorsed Morocco's autonomy initiative for Western Sahara, describing it in a new resolution as the most viable path toward resolving the decades-long territorial dispute. The resolution, drafted by the United States, secured approval with 11 votes from the 15-member council, extending the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission, MINURSO, for another year.

Divided International Response

The vote revealed significant international divisions. While the resolution passed, permanent Security Council members Russia and China, along with Pakistan, chose to abstain. Algeria, a key supporter of the Polisario Front, which seeks independence for Western Sahara, did not participate in the vote. Its UN ambassador, Amar Bendjama, argued the resolution failed to adequately reflect UN decolonization principles, insisting that a just solution must respect the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination.

US Advocacy and Moroccan Reaction

US Ambassador Mike Waltz hailed the decision as a "historic vote" that builds momentum for a lasting peace. He urged all parties to engage in serious discussions using the Moroccan autonomy plan as the "only basis for a just and lasting solution." In response, Morocco's King Mohammed VI welcomed the Council's move, announcing in a televised address that Rabat would update and resubmit its plan to the UN as the sole basis for future negotiations.

A Long-Standing Regional Conflict

The Western Sahara conflict originated after Spain's withdrawal from the territory in 1975, leading to a war between Morocco and the Polisario Front that lasted until a 1991 ceasefire. The dispute has been a primary source of tension between Morocco and Algeria for nearly fifty years. Morocco's 2007 proposal for autonomy under its sovereignty has been countered by the Polisario Front's persistent call for an independence referendum, leaving the region in a political stalemate.