Moroccans celebrate UN's Western Sahara resolution

Moroccans have been celebrating after support from the UN for the country’s claim to the disputed Western Sahara, reports africanews. Although Friday’s vote by the Security Council was divided, it was the strongest endorsement yet for Rabat’s plan to keep sovereignty over the territory. The UN resolution said that genuine autonomy for Western Sahara under Morocco, might be the most feasible solution to the longstanding conflict. The Western Sahara has been the scene of Africa's longest-running territorial dispute since the departure of colonial power Spain in 1975. Morocco considers the territory its own while the Algeria-backed Polisario Front wants to establish an independent state called the Sahrawi Republic. In a rare televised address, Morocco’s King Mohamed VI welcomed the Security Council’s support of its autonomy plan, first presented to the UN in 2007. He also called for dialogue with Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. ‘After 50 years of sacrifice, we are turning a new page towards the consecration of the Moroccan character of the Sahara and the definitive settlement of this artificial conflict, through a consensual solution based on the Autonomy Initiative,’ he said.

The UN resolution called for the parties to engage in negotiations based on Rabat’s autonomy plan, which also has backing from most European Union nations and a growing number of African countries. As with similar resolutions in previous years, the text makes no mention of a referendum on self-determination that includes independence as an option. This is the solution long favoured by the pro-independence Polisario Front and its allies, including Algeria, Russia, and China. The US, which sponsored the resolution, led 11 countries in voting in favour, while three countries – Russia, China, and Pakistan – abstained. Algeria, did not vote, according to africanews. The resolution called on all parties involved to ‘seize this unprecedented opportunity for a lasting peace’. It also renewed the UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara for another year, as has been done for more than three decades. Morocco’s autonomy proposal would establish a local legislative, executive and judicial authority for Western Sahara elected by its residents, while Rabat would retain jurisdiction over defence, foreign affairs and religious matters, reports Al Jazeera. The Polisario instead wants to hold a referendum with independence as an option. Polisario Front representative Sidi Omar said the resolution does not imply any recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. He said the Polisario Front leadership would assess the UN resolution and make an official position public in due course.