The latest historic resolution adopted by UN Security Council on the Sahara marks a turning point in the future of the dispute, as it eliminates partition or referendum options, focusing instead on “genuine” autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty, says American think-tank Atlantic Council.
The landmark vote for UNSC resolution 2797, endorsing the Moroccan 2007 autonomy plan for the Sahara under the kingdom’s sovereignty, comes after years of increased international momentum around the autonomy proposed by Rabat for the Sahara within the Kingdom’s advanced regionalization plan, says the Washington-based research center specialized in international affairs.
Last month’s vote, which constitutes a rupture from years of status quo, came days before the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1975 Green March. The event saw a peaceful, Moroccan-led march of 350,000 people lead to the liberation of the Sahara from Spanish colonialism.
While the Polisario Front has categorically rejected the UN resolution, Morocco is building on its diplomatic victories and advancing toward a lasting resolution of the conflict, says the American think-tank.
The UN Security Council calls upon the parties to engage in discussions without preconditions, taking as basis Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal, underlines the analysis of the Atlantic Council.
The Moroccan autonomy plan has been gaining momentum since 2020, when US President Donald Trump’s first administration recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara territory. Soon after, France and Spain – the former colonizers of the region, both at the very source of the current territorial disputes due to the legacy of colonial borders—decided to side with Morocco.
Other key international allies have since joined this new momentum in favor of Rabat, including UK, Belgium, Israel and numerous Arab, Latin American, and African countries that opened diplomatic representations or undertook significant investment projects in the Sahara in support of the Moroccan stance.
According to Atlantic Council, the second Trump administration has taken a more assertive approach, largely advocating for the autonomy proposal and offering to host mediations between the parties to the conflict. Trump’s current administration has been pressuring the UN, Morocco, and Algeria to push for a fast and sustainable deal—likely seeing resolution to the Sahara.
The American Think-tank says there are signs of appeasement between Algeria and France, with Algeria’s recent pardon of detained French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal.
Furthermore, King Mohamed VI also clearly said in his address following the vote that he wants “no winners or losers” in this conflict and invited “his brother,” the president of Algeria, to revive the Maghreb Union together. These are all positive signals backing Witkoff’s prediction of a Morocco-Algeria peace deal within 60 days, says the Atlantic Council, noting that the UN Sahara resolution is an essential milestone in US leadership, aligning the international community with “most credible and realistic” solution to end a five-decade long conflict.
