Overview
- The council approved the U.S.-backed resolution with 11 votes in favor and none against, as Russia, China and Pakistan abstained and Algeria did not participate.
- Polisario and Sahrawi representatives rejected the plan as legitimizing occupation, called it an annexation, and pressed for a UN-organized referendum on the territory’s status.
- Morocco welcomed the decision, with King Mohammed VI calling it a turning point for national unity, and thousands celebrated in Rabat.
- The United States introduced the measure, building on Washington’s earlier recognition of Moroccan claims, while France and Spain supported it and Algeria denounced a breach of UN decolonization norms.
- Human-rights advocates reported persecution of Sahrawi dissenters and highlighted that Sahrawis are now a minority in the occupied areas, as low-intensity clashes have continued since the 2020 ceasefire collapsed.