Marrakech, October 18, 2025 — The Europe Today: In a decisive turn in one of Africa’s longest-running territorial disputes, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is poised to adopt a new resolution on Western Sahara that strongly emphasizes Morocco’s 2007 Autonomy Initiative as the central framework for resolving the conflict. The draft, consulted by Morocco World News, outlines a recalibration of the UN’s diplomatic stance, signaling a growing international consensus in favor of Morocco’s sovereignty-based solution.
The proposed text reduces the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to six months, while urging all parties — Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria, and Mauritania — to engage in renewed negotiations. It identifies “genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty” as the most viable path to a lasting settlement, reaffirming previous resolutions and extending full support to the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura.
The document notably welcomes “President Trump’s leadership in resolving the Western Sahara dispute” and highlights the United States’ continued readiness to host negotiations. It also acknowledges Morocco’s 2007 Autonomy Proposal as a “serious, credible, and realistic” basis for achieving a just and durable solution, consistent with the principles of self-determination under the UN Charter.
In a significant geopolitical development, the draft underscores growing global pragmatism toward the Sahara question. US presidential advisor Massad Boulos recently reaffirmed Washington’s intention to open a consulate in Morocco’s southern provinces, calling the region “the Moroccan Sahara.” The move reinforces US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty, first announced in December 2020.
Meanwhile, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita’s recent visit to Moscow added new diplomatic momentum. During discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, both sides reviewed the Sahara issue amid reports that Russia may be reconsidering its traditional neutrality and viewing Morocco’s autonomy plan as a legitimate form of self-determination.
UN Envoy Staffan de Mistura has likewise shifted his stance, abandoning earlier proposals for partition in favor of the Autonomy Plan. His recent warnings stressed that continued diplomatic stagnation could trigger dangerous regional instability.
The draft resolution further calls on all parties to engage “without delay or preconditions” and tasks the Secretary-General with providing updates within six weeks of MINURSO’s renewal. Depending on negotiation outcomes, the mission could be transformed or terminated.
As the October 31 vote approaches, observers note that over 120 countries — including the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Spain — now support Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the only realistic and enduring framework for peace. A potential Russian endorsement, analysts suggest, could mark a definitive geopolitical realignment in North Africa, signaling the decline of Algeria’s long-standing influence over the Polisario Front.
If adopted, the upcoming resolution will represent not just another procedural renewal, but a historic inflection point — one that redefines the UN’s approach to Western Sahara and consolidates a growing international consensus around Morocco’s vision of autonomy under its sovereignty.
