The Council will vote to renew a mission in Western Sahara and consider a US-drafted measure to resolve the decades-long Morocco-Polisario conflict
The UN Security Council (UNSC) is set to vote on a draft resolution promoting Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara as the preferred political solution to a territorial conflict that has long destabilized North African geopolitics.
The council will also decide on renewing the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) at its meeting on Friday. MINURSO was established in 1991 to oversee a ceasefire between Morocco and the Sahrawi liberation movement, the Polisario Front, which had fought a 16-year war over the disputed territory. It is also tasked for preparing a referendum to determine the sparsely populated region’s status – either independence or integration with Morocco.
Western Sahara was annexed by Morocco after Spain ended its colonial rule in 1975. The Polisario Front wants full independence for the Sahrawi people – an idea Rabat rejects.
In April 2007, Morocco submitted a proposal to the UNSC under which it intends to delegate administrative, legislative, and judicial powers to local residents while retaining the Moroccan flag and currency. Rabat would also be in charge of the phosphate-rich region’s foreign policy, security, and defense.
So far, three permanent UNSC members – the UK, US and France – have endorsed the plan, calling it the most credible solution to the nearly 50-year conflict. Belgium, Spain, Germany and Portugal have also aligned with Rabat’s proposal, while Israel recognized Moroccan sovereignty in 2023.
A US-authored draft decision is to be considered at the UNSC’s Friday meeting. The text reportedly softens the wording of Morocco’s autonomy proposal while supporting it as a basis for negotiations between the parties.
Algeria, which regards Morocco’s presence in Western Sahara as an occupation, is serving a two-year term on the Council and continues to press for a vote that includes self-determination.
A resolution requires at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes from the five permanent members to pass. Russia and China have urged a “balanced” solution acceptable to all parties and have avoided endorsing Morocco’s autonomy plan. Last year, Moscow abstained on the MINURSO renewal, arguing the US-penned text was “unbalanced” and did not reflect realities on the ground.
