Morocco has declared 31 October a national holiday, after the United Nations (UN) Security Council endorsed its sovereignty plan for Western Sahara last week Friday.

The new “Unity Day” will commemorate what the royal palace called the country’s: “national unity and territorial integrity.”

The plan will see Western Sahara have regional autonomy but under Moroccan sovereignty.

The resolution, adopted in New York, described Morocco’s proposal for genuine autonomy under its sovereignty as the: “most feasible solution” to the long-running dispute. The resolution also extended the mandate of a UN peacekeeping force in the territory for another year.

Western Sahara, a vast phosphate-rich desert territory along the north-west African Atlantic coast, was a Spanish colony until 1975 before being annexed by Morocco. The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, has since fought for full independence for the territory and continues to control parts of the region.

Despite several ceasefires since the 1990s, a promised UN-backed referendum on independence or Moroccan control has never been held, largely due to disputes over voter eligibility.

The African Union recognises Western Sahara’s independence, but growing international backing has tilted toward Morocco’s position, with the US, Britain, Spain, France, Germany, and the Netherlands among those now supporting the autonomy plan.

Celebrations in the capital, Rabat followed the UN decision, with crowds waving flags and officials hailing what they described as a: “historic moment” for Morocco’s territorial integrity.