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Morocco marks UN Western Sahara vote with national holiday

Morocco declares national holiday to mark UN resolution on Western Sahara
MENA
1 min read
05 November, 2025
Morocco declares 31 October a national holiday, Unity Day, to celebrate national unity after the UN backed its plan for the disputed Western Sahara.
The holiday, dubbed "Unity Day", will celebrate Morocco's "national unity and territorial integrity", the palace said in a statement carried by the official MAP news agency [GETTY]

Morocco declared 31 October a national holiday on Tuesday to mark the day the United Nations Security Council voted in favour of a resolution backing its plan for the disputed Western Sahara.

The holiday, dubbed "Unity Day", will celebrate Morocco's "national unity and territorial integrity", the palace said in a statement carried by the official MAP news agency.

Western Sahara is a vast mineral-rich former Spanish colony that is largely controlled by Morocco but has been claimed for decades by the pro-independence Polisario Front, which is supported by Algeria.

The Security Council had previously urged Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria and Mauritania to resume talks to reach a broad agreement.

But, at the initiative of US President Donald Trump's administration, the council resolution supported a plan, initially presented by Rabat in 2007, in which Western Sahara would enjoy autonomy under Morocco's sole sovereignty.