UN Security Council Endorses Moroccan Sovereignty Over Western Sahara

The UN Security Council adopted a US-backed resolution endorsing Morocco's Autonomy Initiative as the basis for political negotiations regarding the disputed Western Sahara, marking a significant diplomatic victory for Morocco. The resolution, supported by 11 countries with no votes against and three abstentions, renews the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission (MINURSO) and calls on Algeria to re-engage constructively in the process after years of boycotting talks. It explicitly links resuming political dialogue with maintaining the ceasefire, broadening shared responsibility for regional peace. Morocco's autonomy plan has gained increasing international support, including backing from most European Union members and African allies, while the resolution condemns human rights violations in the Tindouf camps and criticizes the Polisario Front's actions. Algeria and the Polisario Front oppose the resolution, rejecting any proposal that excludes a referendum offering independence. King Mohammed VI hailed the resolution as a historic milestone, reaffirming Morocco's sovereignty and unity over the Sahara and emphasizing a new era in resolving the conflict peacefully and consensually.