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UN's top security body has approved a US-backed measure that endorses Morocco's claim regarding the disputed territory, notwithstanding fierce resistance from Algeria.

Split Decision Strengthens Morocco's Position

Although the recent decision was split, the measure constitutes the strongest endorsement to date for Morocco's proposal to maintain control over the region, which additionally has backing from the majority of EU countries and a increasing number of African partners.

Measure Structure and Important Components

The document describes Moroccan proposal as a foundation for talks. Similar to previous resolutions, the document makes no mention of a vote on independence that includes independence as an choice, which represents the approach long favored by the independence-seeking Polisario movement and its supporters.

Genuine autonomy under Morocco's sovereignty could constitute a very practical solution.

Background Information

The territory is a phosphate-rich stretch of coastal desert the size of Colorado which was under Spanish control until the mid-1970s. It is asserted by both the Moroccan government and the Polisario Front, which operates from refugee camps in south-western Algeria and asserts to represent the indigenous people native to the disputed region.

Decision Patterns and Global Responses

The United States, which proposed the resolution, led eleven nations in deciding in support, while 3 countries – Russia, China and Pakistan – declined to vote. The neighboring country, the movement's main supporter, did not vote.

Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, stated 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 ambassador to the United Nations, commented that while the measure was an improvement on earlier iterations, it "contains a number of shortcomings".

Peacekeeping Operation and Upcoming Assessment

The measure also renews the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the territory for another year, as has been done for more than thirty years. Prior extensions, however, have not contained a reference to Moroccan and its supporters' preferred outcome.

The UN resolution calls on all parties participating to "seize this unique chance for a enduring peace." Depending on progress, it requests the secretary general to assess the peacekeeping mission's authority within half a year.

Area Consequences and Current Situation

The change could disrupt a long-stalled process that for many years has escaped resolution, desdespite a UN peacekeeping operation that was designed to be temporary. Demonstrations have ensued in indigenous settlements in the neighboring country this week, where residents have pledged not to give up their struggle for self-determination.

Morocco controls almost all of the territory, excluding a narrow strip known as the "free zone" that lies east of a Moroccan-built barrier.

Past Context and Recent Developments

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

Over the years, the Moroccan government has developed the disputed region, building a deepwater port and a 656-mile road. Government subsidies keep basic commodity costs low, and the resident count has ballooned as Moroccans establish homes in cities such as Dakhla and Laayoune.

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

The group has since frequently reported military activity, while Morocco has mostly denied active fighting. The United Nations describes it "low-level hostilities".

International Relations and Future Prospects

Reacting to the proposed measure, Polisario said that it would not join any initiative intending "to 'legitimise' Morocco's illegal presence," saying resolution "cannot happen by supporting expansionism".

The situation represents the driving force in regional diplomacy. The Moroccan government considers endorsement of its autonomy plan as a benchmark for how it assesses its allies.

Last October, the UN representative proposed partitioning the territory, a proposal neither side accepted. He encouraged Morocco to specify what self-rule would involve and cautioned that a absence of progress might raise questions about the UN's function and "if there remains opportunity and readiness for us to remain effective."

The push to review the United Nations Mission comes as the United States reduces financial support for UN programmes and agencies, covering peacekeeping.