The UN Security Council (UNSC) has approved a US-backed resolution supporting Morocco's claim to the disputed Western Sahara, despite opposition from Algeria.
The US led 11 countries in voting in favour, while three countries – Russia, China and Pakistan – abstained. Algeria, Polisario’s primary benefactor, did not vote.
Sidi Mohamed Omar, the Polisaro ambassador to the UN, thanked the states that abstained and Algeria for protesting the vote, saying this “made it very clear that today’s resolution does not imply any recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara”.
“In other words, and in plain English, it does not imply recognition of Morocco’s illegal military occupation of Western Sahara,” he added.
The resolution refers to Morocco’s plan as a basis for negotiation. As with similar resolutions in previous years, the text makes no mention of a referendum on self-determination that includes independence as an option, which is the solution long favoured by the pro-independence Polisario Front.
The UNSC, in a United States-drafted text, on Friday called for the parties to engage in negotiations based on an autonomy plan first presented by Morocco to the UN in 2007.
Morocco considers the territory its own while the Polisario Front seeks to establish an independent state called the Sahrawi Republic.
“We urge all parties to use the coming weeks to come to the table and engage in serious discussions,” US ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz told the council after the vote on Friday. “We believe regional peace is possible this year, and we will make every effort to facilitate progress.”
US President Donald Trump reaffirmed support for Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara in July, saying a Moroccan autonomy plan for the territory was the sole solution. Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff had said the US is working on a peace deal between Algeria and Morocco.
France made a similar move, recognising Rabat’s sovereignty over the territory and greenlighting investments there. In June, Britain became the third UNSC member to back autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty. Spain has also backed Rabat’s position, along with an increasing number of European states, signalling a shift in European Union member states’ foreign policy on the issue.
Amar Bendjama, the Algerian ambassador to the UN, said that while the resolution was an improvement on previous iterations, it “still has a number of shortcomings”, arguing that the text "does not faithfully or sufficiently reflect the UN doctrine on decolonisation".
The measure also renews the UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara for another year, as has been done for more than three decades. Prior extensions, however, haven’t included a reference to Morocco and its allies’ preferred outcome.
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