UN Backs Measure Favoring Morocco's Position on Western Sahara
UN's top security body has passed a American-supported resolution that supports Morocco's position regarding the contested territory, despite strong opposition from Algeria.
Split Vote Bolsters Moroccan Stance
While Friday's decision was divided, the resolution constitutes the most significant endorsement to date for Moroccan plan to maintain sovereignty over the territory, which additionally enjoys support from most EU members and a growing number of African nation allies.
Measure Framework and Key Components
The document refers to Morocco's plan as a foundation for negotiation. As with previous measures, the document doesn't include a vote on independence that includes independence as an choice, which represents the approach long favored by the pro-independence Polisario Front and its allies.
Genuine autonomy under Morocco's authority could constitute a most practical 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 1975. It is claimed by both the Moroccan government and the Polisario Front, which operates from refugee camps in southwestern Algeria and asserts to represent the indigenous people native to the disputed region.
Voting Results and International Responses
The United States, which proposed the resolution, led eleven nations in deciding in support, while 3 nations – Russia, China and Pakistan – abstained. Algeria, the movement's main supporter, did not vote.
The US ambassador, the American representative to the United Nations, stated the vote had been "historic" and would "build on the momentum for a much-delayed peace in Western Sahara".
Amar Bendjama, the Algeria's ambassador to the UN, said that while the measure was an improvement on earlier versions, it "contains a number of shortcomings".
Peacekeeping Mission and Future Assessment
The measure also renews the UN security mission in the territory for another twelve months, as has been implemented for more than three decades. Prior renewals, however, have not contained a mention to Morocco and its supporters' favored resolution.
The measure urges all parties involved to "take this unique chance for a enduring peace." Based on developments, it asks the secretary general to review the operation's authority within six months.
Area Impact and Current Situation
The shift could disrupt a long-stalled process that for many years has escaped settlement, notwithstanding a UN peacekeeping mission that was designed to be temporary. Demonstrations have followed in Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria this recent period, where residents have pledged not to give up their fight for independence.
Morocco administers nearly all of the territory, except for a thin strip called the "liberated area" that lies to the east of a constructed by Morocco sand wall.
Past Context and Current Events
A 1991 ceasefire was meant to pave the way for a vote on independence, but disagreements over participation criteria prevented it from occurring.
Over the years, Morocco has transformed the disputed region, constructing a deepwater port and a 656-mile highway. State support keep food and energy costs low, and the population has ballooned as Moroccans establish homes in urban areas such as major settlements.
Polisario withdrew from the ceasefire in 2020 after confrontations near a route the government was paving to neighboring Mauritania.
The movement has subsequently frequently documented security operations, while the government has mostly denied active fighting. The UN calls it "limited tensions".
Global Relations and Coming Prospects
Reacting to the proposed measure, Polisario stated that it would not join any process aiming "to validate Morocco's illegal military occupation," saying resolution "can never be achieved by supporting territorial claims".
The situation represents the central issue in north African diplomacy. The Moroccan government considers support for its autonomy plan as a standard for how it assesses its international partners.
Last October, the UN representative proposed dividing the territory, a proposal neither side accepted. He encouraged Morocco to specify what self-rule would involve and warned that a absence of progress might question the United Nations' role and "if there remains opportunity and willingness for us to remain useful."
The initiative to review the United Nations Mission comes as the US reduces funding for United Nations initiatives and organizations, covering peacekeeping.
