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The UN Security Council has passed a US-backed measure that supports Moroccan claim regarding the disputed Western Sahara, despite strong opposition from neighboring Algeria.

Divided Vote Bolsters Moroccan Stance

While the recent vote was split, the resolution constitutes the strongest endorsement to date for Morocco's plan to maintain control over the region, which additionally enjoys support from the majority of EU countries and a increasing number of African nation allies.

Measure Structure and Important Components

The document refers to Moroccan plan as a foundation for negotiation. As with earlier resolutions, the document doesn't include a vote on independence that includes independence as an choice, which constitutes the approach traditionally supported by the independence-seeking Polisario movement and its allies.

Genuine autonomy under Morocco's authority could represent a very practical resolution.

Background Information

The territory is a mineral-rich stretch of coastline desert the size of Colorado which was under Spain's control until 1975. It is asserted by both the Moroccan government and the Polisario Front, which functions from temporary settlements in south-western neighboring Algeria and asserts to represent the Sahrawi people native to the contested territory.

Voting Patterns and International Responses

The United States, which proposed the measure, led eleven countries in voting in support, while three countries – Russia, China and Pakistan – declined to vote. The neighboring country, the movement's primary supporter, did not vote.

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

The Algerian ambassador, the Algeria's ambassador to the UN, said that while the resolution was an improvement on previous versions, it "still has a series of deficiencies".

Peacekeeping Operation and Future Assessment

The measure also extends the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the territory for another twelve months, as has been done for more than thirty years. Prior extensions, though, have not contained a mention to Moroccan and its supporters' preferred outcome.

The UN resolution urges all parties involved to "take this unique chance for a enduring resolution." Depending on developments, it asks the secretary general to review the peacekeeping mission's authority within six months.

Regional Consequences and Current Conditions

The change could unsettle a protracted situation that for decades has escaped resolution, notwithstanding a UN security mission that was designed to be temporary. Protests have ensued in indigenous refugee camps in Algeria this recent period, where people have vowed not to give up their fight for self-determination.

Morocco administers almost all of the territory, excluding a narrow strip known as the "liberated area" that lies east of a Moroccan-built barrier.

Past Background and Current Developments

A 1991 truce was meant to facilitate a referendum on self-determination, but disagreements over voter eligibility blocked it from taking place.

Through time, the Moroccan government has transformed the contested territory, building a deepwater port and a 656-mile highway. Government subsidies keep basic commodity costs low, and the resident count has grown significantly as Moroccan citizens settle in cities such as major settlements.

The movement withdrew from the truce in recent years after confrontations near a road the government was constructing to Mauritania.

The group has since regularly reported military activity, while the government has mostly rejected claims of open conflict. The UN calls it "limited tensions".

International Relations and Coming Prospects

Reacting to the draft resolution, Polisario said that it would not join any initiative intending "to 'legitimise' Moroccan illegal presence," saying resolution "can never be achieved by supporting expansionism".

The situation represents the central issue in north African international relations. The Moroccan government views support for its autonomy plan as a benchmark for how it assesses its international partners.

Recently, the UN envoy proposed partitioning Western Sahara, a suggestion neither side accepted. He encouraged Morocco to specify what autonomy would involve and warned that a lack of progress might question the UN's role and "whether there is space and willingness for us to still be effective."

The initiative to review the UN operation comes as the United States reduces funding for United Nations initiatives and organizations, including security operations.