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UN's top security body has passed a US-backed measure that favors Moroccan position regarding the contested territory, despite fierce opposition from Algeria.

Split Vote Strengthens Moroccan Position

While the recent vote was divided, the measure constitutes the strongest endorsement to date for Moroccan proposal to retain control over the region, which additionally enjoys backing from most European Union members and a increasing number of African allies.

Measure Framework and Important Elements

The document refers to Moroccan proposal as a foundation for talks. As with earlier measures, the document doesn't include a vote on independence that contains independence as an option, which constitutes the solution long favored by the independence-seeking Polisario Front and its allies.

Real self-rule under Moroccan sovereignty could represent a very practical solution.

Historical Context

The territory is a phosphate-rich stretch of coastline desert the area of a US state which was under Spain's rule until the mid-1970s. It is claimed by both Morocco and the Polisario movement, which operates from refugee camps in southwestern neighboring Algeria and claims to represent the indigenous people native to the contested region.

Decision Patterns and Global Responses

The US, which proposed the resolution, guided 11 nations in voting in favor, while three nations – Russia, China and Pakistan – declined to vote. The neighboring country, Polisario's main benefactor, did not participate.

Mike Waltz, the American representative to the UN, said the vote had been "significant" and would "build on the momentum for a long, long overdue peace in the region".

Amar Bendjama, the Algeria's representative to the United Nations, said that while the measure was an advancement on earlier iterations, it "contains a series of deficiencies".

Peacekeeping Operation and Upcoming Assessment

The resolution also extends the United Nations security mission in Western Sahara for an additional year, as has been implemented for over thirty years. Previous extensions, however, have not contained a mention to Morocco and its allies' preferred resolution.

The UN resolution calls on all sides participating to "take this unique chance for a lasting resolution." Based on progress, it requests the secretary general to review the peacekeeping mission's mandate within half a year.

Regional Impact and Present Conditions

The change could unsettle a long-stalled process that for many years has eluded settlement, notwithstanding a UN peacekeeping mission that was designed to be short-term. Demonstrations have ensued in indigenous settlements in the neighboring country this week, where residents have vowed not to abandon their struggle for independence.

The Moroccan government controls almost all of the territory, excluding a thin area known as the "liberated area" that lies east of a constructed by Morocco sand wall.

Past Background and Current Developments

A 1991 truce was intended to pave the way for a vote on independence, but fighting over participation criteria blocked it from taking place.

Over the years, Morocco has developed the contested territory, building a deepwater port and a 656-mile road. Government support keep food and energy prices affordable, and the resident count has ballooned as Moroccans establish homes in cities such as Dakhla and Laayoune.

The movement ended the ceasefire in 2020 after confrontations near a route the government was paving to neighboring Mauritania.

The group has since frequently documented security activity, while Morocco has primarily rejected claims of open conflict. The UN calls it "limited tensions".

International Relations and Future Possibilities

In response to the proposed measure, Polisario stated that it would not join any process intending "to 'legitimise' Moroccan illegal military occupation," saying resolution "can never be achieved by rewarding expansionism".

The situation represents the driving force in north African international relations. The Moroccan government views endorsement of its autonomy plan as a standard for how it gauges its allies.

Recently, the UN envoy proposed dividing the territory, a suggestion no party accepted. He encouraged the government to specify what self-rule would involve and warned that a lack of progress might question the United Nations' function and "whether there is space and readiness for us to remain useful."

The initiative to review the UN operation comes as the United States slashes financial support for United Nations initiatives and organizations, including peacekeeping.