UN Security Council Grants Western Sahara Genuine Autonomy Under Moroccan Sovereignty

ARK News.. The UN Security Council on Friday, October 31, 2025, adopted a resolution stating that granting Western Sahara genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty “could be the most realistic and effective solution” to the 50-year-long conflict between Morocco and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front.

The resolution, drafted by the United States, called on all parties to engage in negotiations based on Morocco’s autonomy proposal, first submitted to the United Nations in 2007.

Morocco considers Western Sahara an integral part of its territory, while the Polisario Front seeks to establish an independent state there under the name of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).

Russia, China, and Pakistan abstained, while Algeria did not vote. The remaining 11 members of the Council voted in favor of the resolution, which also extended the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for another year.

According to Morocco’s autonomy plan, Western Sahara would have its own legislative, executive, and judicial authorities elected by its residents, while Rabat would retain control over defense, foreign affairs, and religious matters.

The Polisario Front, however, continues to demand a referendum that includes the option of full independence.

Roughly the size of the United Kingdom, Western Sahara has been the scene of Africa’s longest-running territorial dispute since Spain’s withdrawal in 1975.

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