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The UN Security Council has approved a US-backed resolution that supports Moroccan claim regarding the contested Western Sahara, notwithstanding fierce opposition from neighboring Algeria.

Divided Decision Strengthens Moroccan Stance

While the recent decision was split, the resolution constitutes the strongest support yet for Moroccan proposal to maintain sovereignty over the region, which additionally has support from the majority of European Union countries and a growing number of African allies.

Resolution Framework and Important Components

The document describes Morocco's proposal as a foundation for talks. As with earlier measures, the document makes no mention of a referendum on self-determination that contains sovereignty as an option, which represents the approach traditionally supported by the independence-seeking Polisario movement and its supporters.

Real autonomy under Morocco's sovereignty could constitute a very feasible resolution.

Historical Context

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 the Moroccan government and the Polisario Front, which operates from refugee camps in south-western Algeria and claims to speak for the Sahrawi people native to the contested region.

Voting Patterns and International Responses

The United States, which sponsored the measure, led eleven countries in deciding in support, while 3 countries – Russia, China and Pakistan – abstained. Algeria, Polisario's primary benefactor, did not vote.

The US ambassador, the American representative to the UN, stated the decision had been "significant" and would "advance the progress for a long, long overdue resolution in Western Sahara".

The Algerian ambassador, the Algerian representative to the UN, commented that while the resolution was an improvement on earlier iterations, it "still has a number of shortcomings".

Security Operation and Future Assessment

The resolution also renews the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara for an additional year, as has been done for over thirty years. Previous renewals, though, have not contained a mention to Moroccan and its allies' favored outcome.

The measure urges all sides involved to "take this unprecedented opportunity for a enduring peace." Depending on developments, it requests the UN leader to review the operation's authority within six months.

Area Impact and Current Conditions

The shift could disrupt a long-stalled process that for many years has escaped settlement, desdespite a UN security mission that was designed to be short-term. Demonstrations have followed in Sahrawi settlements in Algeria this week, where people have vowed not to abandon their struggle for independence.

Morocco administers nearly all of the territory, excluding a thin strip called the "liberated area" that lies east of a constructed by Morocco sand wall.

Past Context and Current Developments

A 1991 ceasefire was meant to pave the way for a vote on self-determination, but fighting over voter eligibility blocked it from occurring.

Over the years, the Moroccan government has transformed the disputed territory, building a deepwater port and a 656-mile road. Government support keep food and energy costs low, and the resident count has grown significantly as Moroccan citizens settle in cities such as major settlements.

Polisario ended the ceasefire in recent years after confrontations near a road Morocco was paving to Mauritania.

The group has subsequently frequently documented security activity, while the government has mostly rejected claims of open conflict. The UN calls it "low-level tensions".

International Relations and Coming Possibilities

In response to the draft resolution, Polisario stated that it would not join any process intending "to validate Moroccan illegal military occupation," saying resolution "can never be achieved by supporting territorial claims".

The conflict represents the central issue in regional international relations. The Moroccan government views support for its autonomy plan as a standard for how it assesses its allies.

Recently, the UN envoy proposed dividing Western Sahara, a suggestion no party accepted. He urged Morocco to specify what autonomy would entail and warned that a absence of progress might raise questions about the UN's function and "whether there is space and readiness for us to remain useful."

The push to reassess the UN operation comes as the US reduces funding for UN programmes and agencies, covering peacekeeping.