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UN's top security body has approved a US-backed measure that favors Moroccan position regarding the contested Western Sahara, despite significant resistance from neighboring Algeria.

Split Decision Strengthens Moroccan Position

While the recent vote was divided, the resolution represents the most significant support yet for Morocco's plan to maintain control over the territory, which additionally has support from the majority of European Union members and a increasing number of African partners.

Resolution Structure and Important Components

The document describes Morocco's plan as a basis for negotiation. Similar to earlier resolutions, the document doesn't include a vote on independence that includes independence as an choice, which represents the approach traditionally favored by the pro-independence Polisario movement and its supporters.

Real self-rule under Morocco's sovereignty could represent a very feasible solution.

Historical Information

The territory is a phosphate-rich stretch of coastal arid land 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 temporary settlements in south-western Algeria and asserts to speak for the Sahrawi people indigenous to the disputed region.

Decision Patterns and Global Responses

The US, which proposed the measure, led 11 countries in voting in support, while three nations – Russia, China and Pakistan – declined to vote. Algeria, Polisario's main supporter, did not vote.

Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, said the decision had been "historic" and would "build on the momentum for a much-delayed resolution in the region".

The Algerian ambassador, the Algerian representative to the United Nations, said that while the resolution was an improvement on previous versions, it "still has a series of shortcomings".

Security Operation and Upcoming Assessment

The resolution also extends the UN security mission in Western Sahara for an additional year, as has been implemented for over three decades. Prior renewals, however, have not included a reference to Moroccan and its supporters' preferred resolution.

The UN resolution urges all parties participating to "seize this unique opportunity for a enduring resolution." Based on developments, it asks the secretary general to review the operation's authority within half a year.

Area Consequences and Present Situation

The shift could unsettle a protracted situation that for decades has escaped resolution, notwithstanding a UN security operation that was intended to be short-term. Protests have ensued in indigenous refugee camps in Algeria this recent period, where people have pledged not to abandon their struggle for self-determination.

The Moroccan government controls nearly all of the territory, excluding a narrow strip known as the "free zone" that lies to the east of a Moroccan-built barrier.

Past Background and Current Developments

A 1991 truce was meant to pave the way for a referendum on independence, but disagreements over voter eligibility blocked it from occurring.

Over the years, Morocco has developed the contested region, building a deepwater port and a long road. Government subsidies keep basic commodity prices low, and the population has grown significantly as Moroccans establish homes in urban areas such as Dakhla and Laayoune.

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

The movement has since frequently documented military operations, while the government has mostly rejected claims of active fighting. The United Nations describes it "low-level hostilities".

Global Diplomacy and Coming Possibilities

In response to the draft resolution, Polisario stated that it would not join any initiative aiming "to 'legitimise' Moroccan unauthorized military occupation," adding resolution "can never be achieved by rewarding expansionism".

The conflict constitutes the driving force in regional diplomacy. Morocco considers endorsement of its autonomy plan as a benchmark for how it assesses its allies.

Last October, the UN envoy proposed dividing Western Sahara, a proposal no party agreed to. He urged Morocco to specify what self-rule would entail and cautioned that a absence of progress might question the UN's role and "if there remains opportunity and readiness for us to still be useful."

The initiative to reassess the United Nations Mission comes as the US slashes funding for United Nations initiatives and agencies, covering peacekeeping.