The UN Security Council approved a resolution Friday backing Morocco’s sovereignty claim over Western Sahara, aligning with the Trump administration’s position in the strongest international endorsement yet of Rabat’s control over the territory.
The US-sponsored resolution passed with 11 votes in favour, while Russia, China and Pakistan abstained and Algeria, which supports the independence-seeking nationalist Polisario Front movement, did not vote.
“The United States welcomes today’s historic votes, which seize upon this unique moment and build on the momentum for a long, long overdue peace in Western Sahara,” said Mike Waltz, US ambassador to the UN.
The resolution states that “genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty could constitute a most feasible solution,” representing the first time a Security Council mandate has explicitly endorsed Morocco’s preferred outcome.
