UN backs Morocco autonomy plan for Western Sahara
If you’re catching up on Western Sahara, here’s the headline: on 31 October 2025 the UN Security Council approved a US‑drafted resolution that steers talks toward Morocco’s 2007 autonomy plan and renews the UN mission (MINURSO) for another year. Eleven members voted in favour; Russia, China and Pakistan abstained; Algeria did not vote, Reuters reported. The UK welcomed the move in its explanation of vote at the Council.
Why this matters for readers: it marks the Council’s strongest tilt in years toward autonomy as the basis for negotiations. By contrast, the 2024 renewal simply extended MINURSO and urged compromise without elevating any single proposal. This year’s text goes further by signalling autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as the most feasible path, according to wire copy from New York and UN records from 2024.
What the resolution actually does is straightforward. It calls on the parties to engage in negotiations anchored in Morocco’s 2007 plan, renews MINURSO for another year, and asks the UN Secretary‑General for a six‑month strategic review of the mission’s future. In policy terms, that creates both a timeline and a test for whether talks shift from theory to practice.
It’s just as important to note what the resolution does not do. It does not recognise Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, and it does not commit the Council to an independence referendum. The Polisario Front, which seeks a vote that includes independence, has already said it won’t join talks framed to legitimise Moroccan control, AP and Reuters noted.
The UK’s message was pitched as ‘start of a process, not the end’. Ambassador James Kariuki praised US leadership on the text, backed UN envoy Staffan de Mistura’s efforts to convene talks, and described Morocco’s 2007 autonomy offer as the most credible and pragmatic basis the UK sees for a deal that provides for Sahrawi self‑determination. London also backed a strategic review of MINURSO.
If you’re new to the actors: Morocco controls most of the territory and proposes local self‑government under its sovereignty. The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, argues for a referendum to let the Sahrawi people choose their political future, including independence. Those are the two poles the UN keeps trying to bring to the same table.
A quick conflict primer helps. Spain withdrew in 1975; war followed between Morocco and the Polisario. A UN‑brokered ceasefire in 1991 created MINURSO to organise a referendum that never happened, and low‑level hostilities resumed in 2020 after a border flare‑up. That’s the 50‑year shadow behind this week’s vote.
Self‑determination versus autonomy is the core question you’ll see debated. Self‑determination means people choose their political status, often via a vote that can include independence. Autonomy, by contrast, keeps sovereignty with the state while granting meaningful local rule. The Moroccan plan sketches elected legislative, executive and judicial bodies for Western Sahara, with Rabat retaining defence, foreign affairs and religious matters.
So, what changed this week? The Council’s centre of gravity moved. In place of neutral phrasing, the resolution says genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty could be the most feasible solution and asks for a six‑month check‑in on MINURSO. That pressure point is new: it puts timelines under a file that has drifted for decades.
International positions have been shifting for several years. Washington recognised Moroccan sovereignty in 2020 and reaffirmed its backing for autonomy this year; Spain and several European states have since swung behind Rabat’s proposal. The UK has repeatedly called the 2007 offer credible and viable in its UN statements. This is the backdrop to Friday’s vote.
What to watch next if you’re following along in class or at home: whether Staffan de Mistura can convene a new round of talks that both sides attend in good faith; how Algeria positions itself after sitting out the vote; and what the six‑month MINURSO review recommends for the mission’s role. Those are the near‑term milestones baked into the Council’s language.
One media‑literacy tip before you share headlines: ‘backs autonomy plan’ is not the same as ‘recognises sovereignty’. The text shapes the negotiating frame; it does not settle the status. When the UN releases the full resolution document, compare claims to the wording itself, and keep an eye on how each party chooses to interpret it.