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UN's top security body has adopted a US-backed measure that favors Moroccan position regarding the contested Western Sahara, notwithstanding fierce resistance from neighboring Algeria.

Divided Vote Bolsters Moroccan Position

While Friday's vote was divided, the measure represents the strongest endorsement to date for Morocco's plan to retain sovereignty over the territory, which also enjoys backing from the majority of EU countries and a growing number of African nation partners.

Measure Structure and Key Elements

The document refers to Morocco's proposal as a foundation for negotiation. As with previous resolutions, the text doesn't include a vote on independence that includes independence as an option, which represents the approach long favored by the pro-independence Polisario movement and its allies.

Genuine self-rule under Morocco's sovereignty could constitute a very practical resolution.

Historical Information

Western Sahara is a mineral-rich area of coastline desert the area of Colorado which was under Spanish rule until the mid-1970s. It is asserted by both Morocco and the Polisario movement, which operates from refugee camps in southwestern neighboring Algeria and claims to speak for the Sahrawi people indigenous to the contested territory.

Voting Results and Global Responses

The United States, which sponsored the resolution, guided 11 countries in voting in favor, while three countries – multiple nations – declined to vote. Algeria, Polisario's primary supporter, did not vote.

Mike Waltz, the American ambassador to the United Nations, said the decision had been "significant" and would "build on the momentum for a long, long overdue resolution in Western Sahara".

The Algerian ambassador, the Algeria's representative to the United Nations, said that while the measure was an advancement on earlier iterations, it "contains a number of deficiencies".

Peacekeeping Operation and Future Review

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

The UN resolution calls on all parties participating to "take this unprecedented opportunity for a enduring peace." Based on developments, it asks the UN leader to review the operation's mandate within six months.

Regional Consequences and Present Conditions

The shift could unsettle a long-stalled process that for many years has escaped resolution, desdespite a UN security operation that was intended to be short-term. Protests have followed in indigenous refugee camps in Algeria this recent period, where people have vowed not to give up their fight for self-determination.

The Moroccan government administers nearly all of the territory, excluding a narrow strip known as the "liberated area" that lies to the east of a Moroccan-built barrier.

Historical Background and Recent Events

A 1991-era truce was intended to facilitate a referendum on independence, but fighting over participation criteria blocked it from taking place.

Through time, the Moroccan government has transformed the disputed region, constructing a deepwater port and a 656-mile highway. Government support keep food and energy costs affordable, and the resident count has grown significantly as Moroccan citizens settle in urban areas such as major settlements.

Polisario ended the truce in 2020 after clashes near a route Morocco was paving to neighboring Mauritania.

The group has subsequently frequently reported military operations, while the government has primarily rejected claims of active fighting. The UN describes it "low-level tensions".

International Diplomacy and Future Possibilities

Reacting to the proposed measure, the movement stated that it would not participate in any initiative intending "to 'legitimise' Moroccan unauthorized presence," saying peace "can never be achieved by rewarding territorial claims".

The situation represents the central issue in north African diplomacy. The Moroccan government considers endorsement of its proposal as a benchmark for how it assesses its allies.

Recently, the UN envoy proposed partitioning Western Sahara, a proposal neither side agreed to. He urged the government to specify what autonomy would entail and warned that a lack of progress might question the United Nations' function and "if there remains opportunity and willingness for us to still be effective."

The initiative to review the United Nations Mission comes as the US reduces funding for United Nations initiatives and organizations, including security operations.