UN Security Council votes in favour of Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara

The UN Security Council meets in New York. On October 31, it polled 11 votes for, none against and three abstentions on autonomy for Western Sahara. Reuters

The UN Security Council voted on Friday in favour of a US-backed resolution stating that Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara is the “most feasible” solution for the disputed territory.

The resolution, adopted by 11 votes in favour with three abstentions with none against, said autonomy for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty could be the basis for negotiations to resolve the 50-year conflict.

The measure also renews the UN peacekeeping mission in the region for another year, as has been done for more than three decades.

The proposal had been met with fierce resistance from Algeria. 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”.

The resolution offers the strongest endorsement yet for Morocco’s plan to keep sovereignty over the territory, which also has backing from most EU members and a growing number of African allies.

The UAE was among the nations to welcome the resolution, regarding it as an "important step toward achieving a final and lasting political solution to this issue".

The foreign ministry emphasised its "steadfast position and solidarity with the Kingdom of Morocco, and its full support for its legitimate rights in the Moroccan Sahara".

Western Sahara is a resource-rich stretch of coastal desert that was under Spanish rule until 1975. It is claimed by both Morocco and the Polisario Front, which operates out of refugee camps in south-western Algeria and claims to represent the Sahrawi people indigenous to the territory.

“The United States welcomes today’s historic vote, which seizes upon this unique moment and builds on the momentum for a long, long overdue peace in Western Sahara,” Mike Waltz, US ambassador to the US, said in remarks after the vote.

The proposal's text makes no mention of a referendum on self-determination that includes independence as an option.

Morocco's King Mohammed VI celebrated the result and pledged to supplement Morocco’s proposal with additional details. He thanked Arab and African countries, the US and France for supporting the initiative, and also called for dialogue with Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

Massad Boulos, senior Africa adviser to US President Donald Trump, said he agreed with King Mohammed on the importance of launching a “brotherly dialogue between Morocco and Algeria to resolve this issue and build new relations based on trust”.