GNV News, November 7, 2025

On October 31, 2025, the United Nations Security Council adopted a new Resolution 2797 concerning Western Sahara in northwestern Africa, much of whose territory has long been occupied by Morocco and where the question of independence is at issue.

A particularly notable aspect of the resolution adopted by the Council is that it effectively tilted the direction of conflict resolution toward the Moroccan side. The resolution makes no reference to the possibility of Western Sahara’s independence and specifies that Morocco’s proposed autonomy plan will serve as the “basis” for negotiations to resolve the dispute. Moreover, by including the language that “genuine autonomy could be the most viable outcome,” it is seen as a shift away from the long-standing principle the Council has supported of “the right to self-determination for the people of Western Sahara through a referendum,” and toward supporting Morocco’s position, which has consistently rejected independence. On this resolution, 11 of the Council’s 15 members voted in favor, while three—China, Pakistan, and Russia—abstained. There were no votes against. Algeria, a non-permanent member that supports Western Sahara’s independence, did not participate in the vote.

Western Sahara was once a Spanish colony. After Spain withdrew in 1975, Morocco moved in, and two forces—Morocco and the Polisario Front—clashed over sovereignty over the area, sparking the conflict. Morocco regards Western Sahara as part of its own territory and effectively controls a substantial portion of the region. The Polisario Front, on the other hand, seeks independence for the people of Western Sahara and, with Algeria’s support, declared the establishment of the “Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR)” in 1976.

To mediate the conflict between these two parties, the United Nations, based on Security Council Resolution 690 in 1991, established the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). MINURSO’s original core mandate was to hold a referendum, agreed upon by the parties to the conflict, in which the people of Western Sahara would choose either independence or integration with Morocco. However, more than 30 years after its creation, differences between the parties have not been resolved, and the referendum has yet to materialize. With the referendum stalled for an extended period, MINURSO’s main tasks have since evolved. The mission now focuses on monitoring the ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario Front, supporting disarmament, and facilitating the negotiation process toward a final political settlement, and its mandate was extended by one year under the latest resolution.

The U.S. representative, who drafted the resolution and led the negotiations, urged the parties to approach talks with Morocco’s proposed autonomy plan as the sole basis for a “credible and realistic” solution. By contrast, the Algerian representative, who supports Western Sahara’s independence, strongly argued that the draft did not adequately reflect the Polisario Front’s position and failed to sufficiently incorporate the UN’s decolonization principles. Algeria criticized the draft for creating an imbalance by emphasizing only one party’s (Morocco’s) territorial ambitions while ignoring the aspirations of the Sahrawi people. Some experts have also expressed concerns that the right to self-determination under international law is being downplayed and that political interests are being prioritized over legality.

Learn more about the Western Sahara issue → “Africa’s Largest Colony: Western Sahara”