The United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution stating that genuine autonomy for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty could be the most feasible solution to Rabat’s 50-year conflict with the Algeria-backed Polisario Front.

Western Sahara, a tract of desert the size of Britain, has been the scene of Africa’s longest-running territorial dispute since colonial power Spain left in 1975 and Morocco annexed the territory.

The UNSC, in a United States-drafted text, on Friday called for the parties to engage in negotiations based on an autonomy plan first presented by Morocco to the UN in 2007.

Morocco considers the territory its own while the Polisario Front seeks to establish an independent state called the Sahrawi Republic.

“We urge all parties to use the coming weeks to

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