UN Backs Morocco's Western Sahara Plan in US-Supported Resolution.

2 days ago7 min read

In a move that signals a profound recalibration of long-standing diplomatic alignments, the United Nations Security Council has formally backed Morocco's claim over the disputed territory of Western Sahara through a US-supported resolution. This is not merely a procedural vote; it is a tectonic shift in the international posture toward a conflict that has festered for nearly half a century, echoing the kind of great-power realignments that have historically redrawn the maps of continents.The resolution, passed under the shadow of intense lobbying and geopolitical bargaining, effectively endorses the Moroccan autonomy plan for the region, a stance that directly challenges the Polisario Front's quest for an independent state and undermines the foundational principle of a UN-administered referendum that has been the ostensible goal of the peace process since the 1991 ceasefire. To understand the gravity of this moment, one must look to the past.Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, was annexed by Morocco in 1975, triggering a brutal guerrilla war with the Polisario Front, which declared the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). The conflict created a humanitarian crisis, with thousands of Sahrawi refugees still living in camps in Algeria, Morocco's primary regional adversary and the Polisario's main backer.For decades, the international community, led by the UN, has maintained a fragile status quo, with the Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) monitoring the ceasefire but failing to implement its core mandate. The new American-supported position, a stark reversal from previous administrations that had leaned toward a more balanced approach, can be viewed through a historical lens akin to the great diplomatic recognitions of the Cold War, where superpower patronage instantly altered the legitimacy of contested states.This decision is a crowning achievement for Moroccan diplomacy, which has tirelessly worked to frame its autonomy proposal as the only realistic and pragmatic solution, while for the Sahrawi people and Algeria, it represents a catastrophic diplomatic defeat and a betrayal of the principle of self-determination. The ramifications are immediate and far-reaching.It grants Morocco immense leverage in any future negotiations, effectively forcing the Polisario to accept a solution within Moroccan sovereignty or face complete international isolation. It also deepens the rift within the African Union, where Morocco was readmitted in 2017 after a 33-year absence, despite the SADR's membership, and it sends a clear message to other secessionist movements about the shifting winds of great-power support.Analysts are now watching Algeria's response closely, as the resolution risks destabilizing an already volatile Maghreb region and could potentially escalate tensions along the militarized berm that separates Moroccan-controlled territory from the Polisario's liberated zones. In the grand chessboard of international politics, this resolution is a masterstroke for Rabat and its allies, but it comes at the cost of setting a precedent where might and diplomatic influence can triumph over decades of established international law and the aspirations of a people for their own homeland.

#UN Security Council

#Western Sahara

#Morocco

#US

#resolution

#international stance

#featured