On October 31, 2025, the United Nations Security Council took a decisive step in one of Africa’s longest-running territorial disputes, passing a resolution that backs Morocco’s plan for autonomy in Western Sahara. The move, which saw 11 council members voting in favor, with Russia, China, and Pakistan abstaining and Algeria opting not to vote, marks the strongest international endorsement yet of Rabat’s claim over the vast, resource-rich desert territory. The United States drafted the resolution, underscoring Washington’s increasingly assertive stance on the issue, while France, Britain, Spain, and a growing list of European and African states have also begun to align with Morocco’s position.
Western Sahara—the size of Britain and rich in phosphates—has been at the heart of a bitter dispute since 1975, when Spain withdrew and Morocco annexed the territory. For decades, the Morocco-backed autonomy plan has been pitted against the independence-seeking Polisario Front, which operates from refugee camps in southwestern Algeria and calls for a referendum with independence as an option. The new resolution, however, pointedly omits any reference to such a referendum, instead urging all sides to negotiate on the basis of Morocco’s 2007 autonomy proposal.
“We urge all parties to use the coming weeks to come to the table and engage in serious discussions,” U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz told the council after the vote, as reported by Al-Monitor. “We believe regional peace is possible this year, and we will make every effort to facilitate progress.” Waltz’s words echoed the optimism of the U.S. administration, which has steadily ramped up its engagement in North Africa. Earlier this month, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said on CBS’ 60 Minutes that peace between Morocco and Algeria could be achieved within 60 days, while senior adviser Massad Boulos reaffirmed American support for Morocco’s plan in an interview with Sky News Arabia.
The Security Council’s resolution was clear: “Genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty could constitute a most feasible solution.” This language, which aligns with the Trump administration’s long-standing position, represents a marked shift from previous UN approaches that had left the door open for a self-determination referendum. The resolution also renews the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force MINURSO for another year, while calling for a strategic review within six months, depending on the progress of negotiations.
Morocco’s autonomy plan, first presented in 2007, would grant Western Sahara its own locally elected legislative, executive, and judicial authorities. However, Rabat would retain control over defense, foreign affairs, and religious matters. King Mohammed VI, in a rare televised address after the vote, described the Security Council decision as a “historic step” and “a new and victorious chapter in the process of enshrining the Moroccan character of the Sahara.” He called on Sahrawi refugees in the Polisario-run Tindouf camps in Algeria to endorse autonomy and renewed his call for “brotherly dialogue” with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, expressing Morocco’s ongoing commitment to the Maghreb Union.
Thousands of Moroccans took to the streets in celebration, waving flags and chanting patriotic slogans. The mood in Rabat and other cities was one of triumph, with many citizens seeing the vote as a long-awaited validation of Morocco’s decades-long efforts to integrate Western Sahara. The kingdom has invested heavily in the territory, building a deepwater port, a 1,055-kilometer highway, and subsidizing prices to encourage economic integration. According to The Associated Press, these projects have transformed much of the region, although Morocco still faces resistance in the narrow “free zone” east of a massive sand wall that separates its controlled areas from Polisario-held territory.
Not everyone, however, was celebrating. The Polisario Front, which claims to represent the indigenous Sahrawi people, remains adamant in its demand for a referendum on self-determination that would include independence as an option. “Today’s resolution does not imply recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara,” said Sidi Mohamed Omar, Polisario’s UN envoy, as reported by Reuters. He added that the movement would assess the UN resolution before making an official position public. Demonstrations also erupted in Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria, where protesters condemned the Security Council’s decision and vowed to continue their struggle for independence.
Algeria, the Polisario Front’s main backer, voiced strong criticism of the resolution. “The final decision on the future cannot, must not, belong to anyone other than the people under colonial domination,” Algeria’s UN ambassador, Amar Bendjama, told the council. He argued that the text “ignores the proposals of the Polisario Front” and insisted their voice must be heard. Bendjama did acknowledge “some improvement” in the resolution’s language but maintained that its “shortcomings” made it unacceptable from Algiers’ perspective.
Internationally, the new resolution reflects a significant shift in diplomatic winds. The Trump administration’s policy—emphasizing regional stability and strategic alliances over nation-building or human rights promotion—has shaped Washington’s approach at the UN and beyond. In July 2025, President Donald Trump reaffirmed U.S. support for Morocco’s sovereignty, calling Rabat’s autonomy proposal “the only basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute.” France, Britain, and Spain have followed suit, with the United Kingdom becoming the third Security Council member to back autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty earlier this year. This growing consensus among Western and African allies signals a wider change in the European Union’s foreign policy on the issue, as more governments prioritize stability and counterterrorism cooperation in the Sahel and Maghreb regions.
Yet, the path forward remains fraught. The 1991 ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario Front, which was supposed to pave the way for a referendum, collapsed in 2020 amid renewed clashes near a road Morocco was paving to Mauritania. Since then, intermittent hostilities have persisted, and UN efforts to revive negotiations have repeatedly stalled. In October 2025, UN envoy Staffan de Mistura floated the idea of partitioning Western Sahara, but neither side accepted the proposal.
While Morocco governs almost all of Western Sahara, the Polisario Front retains control over the sparsely populated free zone and continues to demand international recognition for the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. For now, the Security Council’s endorsement of Morocco’s autonomy plan represents a diplomatic coup for Rabat, but it leaves the core questions of self-determination and sovereignty unresolved.
As the region awaits the outcome of fresh negotiations and the promised UN review of MINURSO’s mandate, the people of Western Sahara—whether in Moroccan-administered cities or Algerian refugee camps—remain caught between competing visions for their future. The coming months will test whether the Security Council’s gamble on autonomy can finally bring peace to a territory that has known little but dispute for half a century.
