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The UN Security Council has passed a US-backed resolution that favors Morocco's position regarding the contested Western Sahara, notwithstanding strong resistance from neighboring Algeria.

Split Vote Bolsters Moroccan Position

While Friday's decision was divided, the measure represents the most significant support to date for Morocco's plan to retain control over the region, which additionally enjoys backing from the majority of European Union countries and a growing number of African partners.

Measure Structure and Important Components

The document describes Morocco's plan as a basis for negotiation. Similar to previous resolutions, the text doesn't include a vote on self-determination that contains sovereignty as an choice, which constitutes the approach long favored by the independence-seeking Polisario Front and its allies.

Real self-rule under Morocco's authority could constitute a most feasible resolution.

Background Information

Western Sahara is a phosphate-rich area of coastline desert the size of a US state which was under Spain's control until the mid-1970s. It is claimed by both Morocco and the Polisario Front, which functions from refugee camps in south-western Algeria and claims to represent the indigenous people native to the disputed region.

Decision Results and International Reactions

The US, which proposed the resolution, guided eleven nations in voting in favor, while 3 nations – multiple nations – declined to vote. Algeria, Polisario's primary supporter, did not vote.

The US ambassador, the American ambassador to the UN, said the decision had been "historic" and would "build on the progress for a much-delayed peace in Western Sahara".

Amar Bendjama, the Algerian ambassador to the United Nations, said that while the resolution was an advancement on earlier versions, it "still has a series of deficiencies".

Security Mission and Future Assessment

The resolution also extends the UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara for an additional twelve months, as has been implemented for more than three decades. Prior extensions, though, have not included a reference to Moroccan and its supporters' preferred resolution.

The measure calls on all parties participating to "take this unprecedented chance for a lasting peace." Depending on developments, it asks the secretary general to assess the peacekeeping mission's authority within six months.

Area Consequences and Current Conditions

The change could unsettle a protracted situation that for decades has eluded settlement, notwithstanding a United Nations peacekeeping mission that was designed to be short-term. Demonstrations have ensued in Sahrawi settlements in the neighboring country this week, where people have pledged not to abandon their struggle for independence.

The Moroccan government administers almost all of Western Sahara, excluding a thin area called the "liberated area" that lies to the east of a Moroccan-built sand wall.

Historical Context and Recent Developments

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

Through time, the Moroccan government has developed the disputed territory, constructing a deepwater port and a long highway. Government support keep food and energy costs affordable, and the population has grown significantly as Moroccans establish homes in urban areas such as major settlements.

Polisario withdrew from the truce in 2020 after clashes near a route Morocco was constructing to neighboring Mauritania.

The movement has since regularly documented security activity, while the government has mostly rejected claims of open conflict. The UN describes it "low-level tensions".

International Diplomacy and Future Prospects

In response to the proposed measure, the movement said that it would not join any process aiming "to 'legitimise' Moroccan illegal military occupation," adding peace "cannot happen by rewarding expansionism".

The conflict constitutes the driving force in north African diplomacy. Morocco views endorsement of its autonomy plan as a standard for how it gauges its allies.

Last October, the UN representative proposed partitioning Western Sahara, a suggestion no party agreed to. He urged Morocco to specify what autonomy would entail and cautioned that a lack of development might raise questions about the UN's role and "whether there is space and willingness for us to still be useful."

The initiative to reassess the UN operation comes as the US reduces financial support for UN programmes and agencies, including peacekeeping.