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UN's top security body has adopted a US-backed measure that favors Moroccan claim regarding the disputed territory, despite fierce resistance from neighboring Algeria.

Split Vote Bolsters Moroccan Position

Although the recent decision was divided, the resolution constitutes the most significant support yet for Morocco's plan to maintain sovereignty over the territory, which additionally has backing from most EU countries and a increasing number of African nation partners.

Measure Framework and Key Elements

The resolution refers to Morocco's plan as a basis for negotiation. As with earlier measures, the document doesn't include a vote on self-determination that includes sovereignty as an choice, which represents the solution traditionally supported by the independence-seeking Polisario movement and its allies.

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

Background Information

Western Sahara is a phosphate-rich stretch of coastline arid land the area of a US state which was under Spanish rule until the mid-1970s. It is asserted by both the Moroccan government and the Polisario Front, which operates from temporary settlements in south-western neighboring Algeria and asserts to speak for the Sahrawi people native to the disputed territory.

Decision Patterns and Global Responses

The US, which proposed the measure, led 11 countries in deciding in favor, while 3 nations – multiple nations – abstained. Algeria, the movement's primary supporter, did not participate.

Mike Waltz, the American representative to the UN, said the decision had been "significant" and would "build on the progress for a long, long overdue peace in Western Sahara".

The Algerian ambassador, the Algeria's representative to the UN, said that while the resolution was an advancement on earlier versions, it "still has a series of deficiencies".

Peacekeeping Mission and Future Review

The resolution also extends the UN security operation in the territory for an additional year, as has been implemented for over thirty years. Prior extensions, though, have not contained a reference to Morocco and its supporters' favored resolution.

The measure calls on all sides involved to "take this unique opportunity for a enduring peace." Based on developments, it requests the UN leader to assess the operation's mandate within six months.

Area Impact and Present Situation

The shift could disrupt a long-stalled situation that for many years has eluded resolution, desdespite a UN security operation that was intended to be short-term. Protests have followed in indigenous refugee camps in the neighboring country this recent period, where people have vowed not to abandon their fight for independence.

The Moroccan government controls nearly all of the territory, except for a thin area known as the "liberated area" that lies east of a constructed by Morocco sand wall.

Historical Background and Recent Developments

A 1991-era ceasefire was intended to facilitate a vote on independence, but disagreements over participation criteria prevented it from taking place.

Over the years, Morocco has transformed the contested region, constructing a deepwater port and a long highway. Government support keep basic commodity costs low, and the population has grown significantly as Moroccan citizens settle in urban areas such as Dakhla and Laayoune.

Polisario withdrew from the ceasefire in 2020 after confrontations near a route Morocco was paving to neighboring Mauritania.

The movement has subsequently regularly documented military operations, while Morocco has primarily denied open conflict. The UN describes it "low-level tensions".

International Diplomacy and Coming Prospects

Reacting to the draft resolution, Polisario stated that it would not join any process aiming "to 'legitimise' Moroccan illegal presence," saying peace "can never be achieved by rewarding expansionism".

The conflict represents the central issue in regional diplomacy. Morocco considers support for its autonomy plan as a benchmark for how it assesses its allies.

Recently, the UN representative proposed dividing Western Sahara, a suggestion no party agreed to. He encouraged Morocco to clarify what autonomy would involve and cautioned that a absence of progress might question the UN's function and "whether there is space and willingness for us to remain useful."

The initiative to reassess the UN operation comes as the US reduces funding for United Nations initiatives and agencies, including peacekeeping.