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UN's top security body has adopted a US-backed resolution that favors Moroccan claim regarding the contested Western Sahara, despite strong resistance from neighboring Algeria.

Split Decision Strengthens Moroccan Position

While the recent decision was divided, the resolution constitutes the strongest support to date for Moroccan proposal to retain control over the territory, which also enjoys backing from most European Union countries and a increasing number of African nation allies.

Resolution Structure and Important Components

The document describes Morocco's plan as a basis for talks. Similar to earlier resolutions, the text doesn't include a vote on independence that contains sovereignty as an choice, which represents the solution long favored by the pro-independence Polisario movement and its supporters.

Genuine self-rule under Moroccan sovereignty could constitute a very practical resolution.

Background Context

Western Sahara is a mineral-rich area of coastal desert the area of a US state which was under Spanish rule until the mid-1970s. It is claimed by both Morocco and the Polisario Front, which operates from temporary settlements in south-western neighboring Algeria and claims to speak for the Sahrawi people indigenous to the disputed region.

Voting Results and Global Reactions

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

Mike Waltz, the American representative to the United Nations, said the vote had been "significant" and would "advance the progress for a long, long overdue resolution in Western Sahara".

Amar Bendjama, the Algeria's ambassador to the UN, commented that while the resolution was an advancement on earlier iterations, it "still has a number of shortcomings".

Security Operation and Upcoming Review

The resolution also renews the UN peacekeeping operation in Western Sahara for another year, as has been implemented for over three decades. Previous extensions, however, have not included a mention to Morocco and its allies' favored resolution.

The measure calls on all parties involved to "seize this unique chance for a enduring resolution." Based on progress, it requests the secretary general to review the peacekeeping mission's mandate within six months.

Regional Impact and Current Conditions

The shift could disrupt a long-stalled process that for decades has eluded resolution, desdespite a United Nations peacekeeping operation that was intended to be short-term. Demonstrations have ensued in indigenous settlements in the neighboring country this recent period, where residents have pledged not to abandon their fight for self-determination.

The Moroccan government controls almost all of the territory, excluding a thin strip called the "liberated area" that lies to the east of a Moroccan-built barrier.

Historical Background and Current Events

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

Over the years, Morocco has transformed the disputed territory, building a deepwater port and a long road. State support keep basic commodity prices low, and the population has grown significantly as Moroccan citizens establish homes in urban areas such as major settlements.

Polisario withdrew from the ceasefire in recent years after clashes near a road Morocco was paving to neighboring Mauritania.

The movement has subsequently regularly reported military operations, while the government has mostly rejected claims of open conflict. The United Nations calls it "low-level tensions".

Global Diplomacy and Coming Prospects

In response to the proposed measure, the movement said that it would not join any initiative intending "to validate Morocco's unauthorized military occupation," adding peace "can never be achieved by supporting territorial claims".

The conflict represents the central issue in north African international relations. Morocco views endorsement of its proposal as a standard for how it assesses its allies.

Last October, the UN envoy proposed partitioning Western Sahara, a suggestion neither side accepted. He encouraged the government to clarify what self-rule would involve and cautioned that a absence of development might question the UN's function and "if there remains opportunity and readiness for us to still be useful."

The push to review the United Nations Mission comes as the United States slashes funding for UN programmes and organizations, including peacekeeping.