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21h ago

UN Security Council Backs Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as Basis for Western Sahara Talks

The vote drops any reference to a referendum, steering UN diplomacy toward Rabat’s 2007 autonomy offer.

FILE - An archway in the entrance of Dakhla carries an image of Morocco's King Mohammed VI, in Western Sahara, on Dec. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy, File)
FILE - A Sahrawi refugee woman stands at the door of her home in the Boujdour refugee camp, Algeria, on Oct. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)
The United Nations logo adorns a window at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 18, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
The UN Security Council meets in New York. Reuters

Overview

  • The Council adopted the U.S.-drafted resolution 11–0, with Russia, China and Pakistan abstaining and Algeria not participating, stating autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty could be the most feasible solution.
  • The measure renews MINURSO for one year and asks the UN Secretary-General to deliver a six-month strategic review on the mission’s future mandate tied to negotiation progress.
  • Algeria criticized the text as sidelining Sahrawi self-determination, and the Polisario Front said it will not join any process it views as legitimizing Moroccan occupation.
  • Morocco welcomed the outcome, with King Mohammed VI calling it a step toward a “win‑win” resolution, urging Sahrawi refugees to back autonomy and inviting dialogue with Algeria as crowds celebrated in Moroccan cities.
  • U.S., French and British support underpinned the shift, though Polisario’s UN representative stressed the resolution does not recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.