• As Spain prepared to withdraw from its colonial territory in 1975, Morocco stepped in and occupied most of the Western Sahara. (hrw.org)
  • His Algeria-backed Polisario Front has long fought for the independence of Western Sahara, a desert region bigger than Britain which was a Spanish colony until 1975. (squidsaccess.com)
  • Morocco annexed Western Sahara in 1975 and considers it as its "southern provinces. (thenews.mx)
  • The conflict has deep historical roots, dating back to the Madrid Accords of November 1975, which allocated two-thirds of Western Sahara to Morocco and one-third to Mauritania. (casasayab.com)
  • was the name for the area of Western Sahara under Mauritanian control between 1975 and 1979. (wikimili.com)
  • Mauritania annexed the southern third of the former Spanish colony of Spanish Sahara in 1975 after the Madrid Accords , with Morocco taking the northern two-thirds ( Saguia el-Hamra and the northern half of Río de Oro ) as its Southern Provinces . (wikimili.com)
  • Before of the International Court of Justice , Mauritania claimed in 1975 that the entire Spanish Sahara had historically constituted part of " Bilad Chinguetti ", which it argued had been an undeclared tribal and religious community. (wikimili.com)
  • Moroccan and POLISARIO forces fought intermittently from 1975, when Spain relinquished colonial authority over the territory, until a 1991 cease-fire and the establishment of a UN peacekeeping mission. (state.gov)
  • U ntil 1975 , Western Sahara was a Spanish colony. (theleftberlin.com)
  • Sahara since 1975. (lu.se)
  • The conflict between Morocco and the indigenous people of Saharawi, who are demanding the independence of Western Sahara, has lasted for almost fifty years: the Western Sahara conflict began in fact in 1975, when the former colonial authority of Spain withdrew from the region. (thenewglobalorder.com)
  • For 27 years, Minurso (the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara) and a series of UN envoys for Western Sahara have tried to broker a settlement on the territory dividing Morocco and the Polisario Front ever since Spain withdrew from the North African desert region in 1975. (passblue.com)
  • After Spain agreed to decolonise the territory to Morocco and Mauritania in 1975, a guerrilla war arose with local forces. (mtbmorocco.com)
  • The Western Sahara conflict dates back to 1975, after the withdrawal of colonial occupier Spain, sparking a 15-year war between the Algeria-backed Polisario Front and Morocco for control over the territory. (arabnews.com)
  • The conflict over Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony rich in natural resources, began in earnest after Spain withdrew from the region in 1975 and Morocco took the opportunity to occupy much of the disputed territory. (responsiblestatecraft.org)
  • Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony south of Morocco that was "reintegrated" by the kingdom of Morocco, has declared independence as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. (wikipedia.org)
  • The UN's proposal was rejected by Morocco and accepted by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. (wikipedia.org)
  • What had begun as an issue of decolonization erupted into armed conflict, as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro (Polisario Front), the Western Saharan liberation movement, fought for independence from Morocco, and over 100,000 Western Saharan (Sahrawi) refugees fled to southwestern Algeria, where they settled in tent camps. (hrw.org)
  • After two years of diplomatic deadlock, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed a new envoy for Western Sahara, a territory disputed between Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front, which represents the ethnic Sahrawi population of the territory. (crisisgroup.org)
  • Ghali is facing two investigations in Spain following accusations of genocide, murder, torture and disappearances made against him by a Sahrawi activist and a Spain-based Western Sahara rights group. (squidsaccess.com)
  • One of the lawsuits relates to allegations of torture at Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf, a town in western Algeria. (squidsaccess.com)
  • Highlighting the consequences of this recognition, Dr M'membe continued, "By siding with imperialists and recognizing Morocco's colonization of Western Sahara, Mr Hichilema has not only disregarded the aspirations of the Sahrawi people for independence but has also compromised Zambia's reputation as a supporter of justice and freedom. (lusakatimes.com)
  • Drawing attention to the historical struggle of the Sahrawi people, Dr M'membe explained, "The Polisario Front, founded in 1973, has fought for the self-determination and liberation of Western Sahara. (lusakatimes.com)
  • The latter was the preferred option of the Polisario Front , a Sahrawi organization which turned its guerrilla forces against both countries , having until then fought Spain. (wikimili.com)
  • Mauritanian president Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla in 1984 proceeded to recognize the Polisario -backed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) as the legitimate sovereign of the area. (wikimili.com)
  • In 1976, Mauritania was quickly defeated and in the same year , the Polisario declared the establishment of the Sahrawi Arabic Democratic Republic (SADR) . (theleftberlin.com)
  • In 1991, a truce was negotiated with the promise on a referendum on the right to self-determination of Western Saharan inhabitants, the Sahrawi. (lu.se)
  • The Sahrawi have little access to these resources, as many of the workers are Moroccan citizens who immigrated to Western Sahara to work in the industries. (iijd.org)
  • As the figures to which Sánchez referred show, Spain is the leading donor of humanitarian aid to the Sahrawi people. (accraherald.com)
  • A new UN envoy is taking a stab at ending the frozen conflict over the status of the Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara territory of the indigenous Sahrawi people, prodded by the United States. (passblue.com)
  • On Twitter, the Polisario Front recently said the region "remains the last colony in Africa waiting to be decolonised in line with UN relevant resolutions, which recognise the inalienable right of the #Sahrawi people to self-determination and independence. (passblue.com)
  • 4. The Assembly notes, in particular, that Western Sahara remains a disputed territory, regarded as a "non-self-governing territory" by the United Nations and under de facto Moroccan administration, and that some of the Sahrawi population in the territory and of the refugees in the Tindouf camps in Algeria, who are linked to the Polisario Front, are opposed to this situation. (coe.int)
  • The area 446550km2 excludes all disputed territories, while 710850km2 includes the Moroccan-claimed and partially-controlled parts of Western Sahara (claimed as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic by the Polisario Front ). (explained.today)
  • While largely off the radar for Western audiences, the 45-year-long conflict between the Polisario - a local Sahrawi independence movement - and Morocco over Western Sahara, a region bounded by Mauritania, Morocco, and the Atlantic Ocean, has pitted regional powers against each other and challenged policymakers and diplomats searching for a solution. (responsiblestatecraft.org)
  • Despite a ceasefire declared in 1991, the conflict over Sahrawi independence has continued to simmer, with Morocco claiming de facto sovereignty over 70 percent of the land that many locals view as the foundation of a future state. (responsiblestatecraft.org)
  • Brahim Ghali, who heads the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, denied the allegations against him as he testified by video conference from a hospital in northern Spain where he is recovering from a severe case of Covid-19. (squidsaccess.com)
  • As far as bilateral attempts are concerned, very little has been achieved, as Morocco continues to refuse any concessions that would allow the independence of Western Sahara, while Algeria maintains its support for the self-determination of the Sahrawis. (wikipedia.org)
  • 1 The referendum would ask Sahrawis to choose between independence or integration into Morocco. (hrw.org)
  • Sahrawis are indigenous to the territory of Western Sahara, A frica 's last colony. (theleftberlin.com)
  • Displaced Sahrawis arrive to attend a Polisario congress at the refugee camp of Dakhla, (Algeria). (thenewglobalorder.com)
  • The Polisario Front, a political group of indigenous Sahrawis, wants independence. (prwatch.org)
  • Tens of thousands of Sahrawis live in Polisario-run refugee camps in Algeria. (prwatch.org)
  • The other narrative of Morocco is that the referendum for the Sahrawis is dead. (passblue.com)
  • The Polisario Front is composed largely of the indigenous nomadic inhabitants of the Western Sahara region, the Sahrawis. (britannica.com)
  • Despite these challenges, the Polisario Front's overall level of legitimacy with the Sahrawis and in the global political community appeared largely undiminished. (britannica.com)
  • Meanwhile, the Sahrawis who remain in Morocco-controlled Western Sahara have been subject to widely-reported human rights abuses. (responsiblestatecraft.org)
  • The plan, which the Security Council approved on April 29, 1991, called for a referendum, to be organized and conducted by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in the Western Sahara (MINURSO). (hrw.org)
  • After sixteen years of war, a cease-fire formally took effect in the Western Sahara in September 1991. (hrw.org)
  • The zone was established as a Polisario-held zone in a 1991 cease-fire between the Polisario Front and Morocco, which had been agreed upon together as part of the Settlement Plan . (wn.com)
  • After 16 years of war, Rabat and the Polisario signed a ceasefire in 1991, but a UN-backed referendum on self-determination has been repeatedly postponed. (squidsaccess.com)
  • Rabat calls for Western Sahara to have autonomous status under Moroccan sovereignty, but the Polisario Front wants a UN-supervised referendum on self-determination as agreed in a 1991 ceasefire agreement. (globelivemedia.com)
  • While Mauritania left the conflict, the Polisario continued to battle Morocco until a cease-fire was reached by the UN in 1991, accompanied by the promise of the territory holding a referendum on independence that has never materialized. (passblue.com)
  • A 1991 ceasefire deal brought fighting to an end, with Morocco in control of 80 percent of the resource-rich desert region and the Polisario Front clinging to hopes of a UN-supervised referendum on independence provided for in the deal. (arabnews.com)
  • The conflict over the Western Sahara has defied resolution for over twenty years. (hrw.org)
  • He added that Paraguay's support for the Moroccan Sahara was also expressed by the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Miguel Cuevas, who emphasized his country's clear commitment to support the territorial integrity of Morocco as well as autonomy submitted by the Kingdom to put an end to this artificial regional conflict that has lasted for four decades. (corcas.com)
  • A Japanese-Canadian vessel that transported conflict phosphate from occupied Western Sahara was yesterday received by a floating protest in New Zealand. (wsrw.org)
  • The bay of Mogán at Gran Canary Island will next week be covered in conflict sand from occupied Western Sahara. (wsrw.org)
  • Mauritania then disengaged from the conflict, surrendering its claims to any part of Western Sahara, and pulling out its troops. (wikimili.com)
  • Around the same time, International Crisis Group added Western Sahara to its list of Africa conflict hotspots. (businessreviewafrika.com)
  • Horst Koehler, a former German president who has been the United Nations special envoy for Western Sahara since last year, is bringing the parties to the longstanding conflict over that region to a roundtable meeting in Geneva soon. (passblue.com)
  • The Moroccans frame the conflict that way to try and marginalize/delegitimize the POLISARIO and the Saharawi cause more generally," the representative, who wished to remain anonymous, wrote in an email. (passblue.com)
  • So their narrative is that Western Sahara is an external conflict between Algeria and Morocco rather than one in which the local/indigenous people of the territory have resisted a Moroccan invasion/colonial occupation. (passblue.com)
  • Underlining the need to continue negotiations under the auspices of the Secretary-General of the United Nations with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution to the Western Sahara conflict, the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy calls on all parties to show realism and a spirit of compromise in order to move the negotiations forward. (coe.int)
  • 3. Now, three years later, the Assembly remains concerned about the slow progress in finding a just and lasting political solution to the Western Sahara conflict, which has been a source of hardship and suffering for almost 40 years. (coe.int)
  • Speaking on the final day of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, Omar Hilale said Morocco is resolute in finding a solution to the "fabricated regional conflict" as an aid to promoting peace and stability in the region and Africa more widely. (arabnews.com)
  • Morocco continues to support the efforts of the UN to relaunch roundtables with the same format and the same participants, especially Algeria, the main party to this conflict, in line with its Security Council resolution 2654," he added. (arabnews.com)
  • A decision to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara may, on its face, seem an appealing way to end the conflict. (responsiblestatecraft.org)
  • In the article, which never mentioned the organization that sued him, Lmrabet referred to the Saharawi people living in camps in the Algerian city of Tindouf as refugees, contradicting the Moroccan government's position that they are prisoners of the independence movement Polisario Front. (cpj.org)
  • The communication is in relation to the EEAS's supposed aim to consult our organisation in reference to seeking the permission of the Saharawi people regarding future EU-Morocco trade and fisheries agreements. (smalgangen.org)
  • I understand that you have not sought the consent of the Polisario Front, the recognized representatives of the Saharawi. (smalgangen.org)
  • MADRID - A high-ranking member of the Polisario Front seeking independence for Western Sahara warned Tuesday that war is possible for the disputed territory annexed by Morocco if the U.N. Security Council fails to set a self-determination referendum timetable. (thenews.mx)
  • The Moroccan government has proposed wide-ranging autonomy for the region, but the Polisario Front insists on self-determination through a referendum for the local population - as called for in U.N. resolutions. (thenews.mx)
  • On the other hand, the Polisario Front, supported by Algeria, advocates for the self-determination of Western Sahara, opposing Morocco's claim to the territory. (casasayab.com)
  • For the past seven years, Russia has been calling on the US to adopt new language in Western Sahara resolutions in an attempt to emphasize its mission in organizing a self determination referendum in the Sahara. (abidjanherald.com)
  • In lieu of a referendum on self-determination, Spain ceded administrative control of the territory to Morocco and Mauritania, two nations that asserted claims over regions in the occupied territory. (iijd.org)
  • This declaration, more commonly referred to as the Declaration on Decolonization recognizes the principles set forth in the UN Charter to promote fundamental human rights and self-determination of all peoples. (iijd.org)
  • This action sparked a long-lasting dispute between Morocco and the Saharawi's people, supported by the Polisario Front , a militant organization and political movement active in order to achieve the realization of the right of the Saharawi's people to self-determination. (thenewglobalorder.com)
  • In February last year, the EU Court of Justice had ruled the practice of applying the EU's Fisheries Agreement with Morocco to the waters of Western Sahara to be in violation of international law, in particular of the principle of self-determination. (businessreviewafrika.com)
  • Algeria has continuously supported the Polisario Front liberation movement. (wikipedia.org)
  • The Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro (POLISARIO), an organization that seeks the territory's independence, disputes Morocco's claim to sovereignty over the territory. (state.gov)
  • During that rule, the liberation movement led by The Polisario Front was active against the colonizers. (theleftberlin.com)
  • Polisario Front1, the liberation movement of Western Sahara, had fought to claim its independence but failed to do so. (lu.se)
  • Polisario Front , abbreviation of Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro , Spanish Frente Popular para la Liberación de Saguia el-Hamra y Río de Oro , politico-military organization striving to end Moroccan control of the former Spanish territory of Western Sahara , in northwestern Africa, and win independence for that region. (britannica.com)
  • Algeria and Morocco, its most populous neighbour, have had bad relations for decades, with Algiers backing the armed Polisario movement that seeks independence for Western Sahara, a territory Rabat sees as its own. (aljazeera.com)
  • Spain says he was allowed into the country in April for treatment as a humanitarian gesture but the move has angered Morocco, triggering a major diplomatic spat between Rabat and Madrid. (squidsaccess.com)
  • After resumption of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Cuba, the professor at the John F. Kennedy University in Buenos Aires emphasized the importance of establishing direct relations between Rabat and Havana and consolidation of economic cooperation between the two countries. (corcas.com)
  • According to a letter from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli government has decided to "recognize Morocco's sovereignty" over the contentious Western Sahara territory, the royal office in Rabat stated on Monday, July 17. (thenewglobalorder.com)
  • Rabat controls nearly 80% of Western Sahara and exerts its sovereignty over it as its territory, meaning it also claims all of Western Sahara's resources. (thenewglobalorder.com)
  • In reality, by denying the Saharawis' political sovereignty over the Western Sahara, Morocco is also denying sovereignty over its natural resources, which Rabat considers to be its own. (thenewglobalorder.com)
  • Morocco also claims the exclaves of Ceuta, Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, all of them under Spanish jurisdiction, as well as several small Spanish-controlled islands off its coast.The capital is Rabat and the largest city is Casablanca.Morocco spans an area of 710,850 km2 (274,460 sq mi) and has a population of over 36 million. (mtbmorocco.com)
  • Shouldn't he have at least minimized the impact by warning Rabat instead of opting for a discreet entry by the leader of POLISARIO? (moroccomail.fr)
  • Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo meets with Moroccan Head of Government Saadeddine El Othmani, in Rabat, Morocco, on December 5, 2019. (responsiblestatecraft.org)
  • It was not until thirty years later, though, that five Maghreb states-Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia-met for the first Maghreb summit in 1988. (wikipedia.org)
  • Algeria Libya Mauritania Morocco Tunisia The economy of the AMU combines the economies of four out of five member states. (wikipedia.org)
  • The Free Zone or Liberated Territories is a term used by the Polisario Front to describe the part of Western Sahara that lies to the east of the Moroccan Berm (the Moroccan border wall) and west and north of the borders with Algeria and Mauritania , respectively. (wn.com)
  • Morocco controls 80 percent of the territory, while the rest - an area bordering Mauritania that is almost totally landlocked - is run by the Polisario Front. (squidsaccess.com)
  • Polisario strikes against the iron mines at Zouerate and the Mauritania Railway (which carried most of the country's iron ore to the coast for export), as well as the costs of the war effort, soon brought the country to the brink of economic collapse, and produced increasing tensions in the army and government apparatus. (wikimili.com)
  • The areas occupied by Mauritania were entered by Morocco, which has since claimed ownership over the entire territory, despite continued opposition by Polisario, and its main backer, Algeria . (wikimili.com)
  • They were never put to use by Mauritania, but have since been fished by Morocco and foreign ships under Moroccan licenses. (wikimili.com)
  • The Ould Daddah government's claims to the territory was based in the strong cultural and tribal ties between the Moorish inhabitants of Mauritania, and the tribes of Western Sahara . (wikimili.com)
  • However, when Spain withdrew, it made an illegal accord with Morocco and Mauritania splitting our country between these two states. (theleftberlin.com)
  • After a war in which the Frente POLISARIO was victorious, Mauritania and the Frente POLISARIO entered into an agreement in which Mauritania renounced all claims over Western Sahara. (iijd.org)
  • The foreign ministers of Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the Polisario Front - the political party representing the indigenous people of Western Sahara, who seek independence from Morocco - are invited to the Dec. 5-6 gathering. (passblue.com)
  • The territory is bordered by Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and the Atlantic Ocean. (passblue.com)
  • After Spain withdrew, it was administered by Morocco and Mauritania. (passblue.com)
  • The Polisario Front began in May 1973 as an insurgency (based in neighbouring Mauritania ) against Spanish control of Western Sahara. (britannica.com)
  • After Spain withdrew and Morocco and Mauritania partitioned Western Sahara between themselves in 1976, the Polisario Front relocated to Algeria , which henceforth provided the organization with bases and military aid. (britannica.com)
  • Mauritania made peace with the Polisario Front in 1979, but Morocco then unilaterally annexed Mauritania's portion of Western Sahara. (britannica.com)
  • And we also must be defenders of relations with our neighbors, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Senegal, Mauritania, and many others, understanding that they will only be good if they are managed from co-responsibility and represent the interests of both parties. (moroccomail.fr)
  • Upon signing the agreement, then-U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to engage in negotiations with the Polisario Front and "all regional actors," indirectly referring to Algeria , a supporter of the Front's demands. (fanack.com)
  • The person close to the Geneva roundtable shared his concern with PassBlue that Morocco's approach to the meeting will undermine the Polisario Front's status. (passblue.com)
  • Morocco expelled most of the mission last month and has proposed autonomy for Western Sahara. (thenews.mx)
  • The agreement also endorsed Morocco's proposal to settle its dispute with the Polisario Front over this region through a principle of regional autonomy within Morocco, without seeking secession. (fanack.com)
  • During his first official meeting with the Moroccan monarch, President Barack Obama had clearly reiterated his country's support to the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara that he described again as "serious, realistic and credible. (polisario-thinktwice.org)
  • Moroccan Ambassador to Korea Chafik Rachadi referred Jeju as a successful example of administrative autonomy playing a crucial role in regional development, at the symposium, held under the theme, "Autonomy as a Relay for Development: A Comparative Approach. (casasayab.com)
  • Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara could be beneficial for development as well, according to Rachidi. (casasayab.com)
  • In an article entitled "The isolation of Polisario separatists is increasing", the agency says that thanks to its place on the international chessboard and to its active diplomacy, under the enlightened leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, the Kingdom succeeded in rallying support from African and South American countries, allowing the autonomy initiative to benefit from broad international support. (corcas.com)
  • In March, Spain ended a year-long diplomatic crisis by endorsing Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara that backtracks on its decades-long stance of neutrality. (globelivemedia.com)
  • Trade agreements, the autonomy of Western Sahara, bilateral security cooperation in the fight against terrorism and the regularisation of immigration are the four legs of the table that hold the fruits of Spanish-Moroccan relations. (accraherald.com)
  • On 3 January 2010, the Moroccan government established the Consultative Commission for the Regionalization (CCR), which aimed to decentralize power to the regions, and confer a greater autonomy to the regions coinciding with the Western Sahara. (mtbmorocco.com)
  • Q. Has Spain given in to Morocco, first with your dismissal and then with support for its autonomy plan for Western Sahara? (moroccomail.fr)
  • Whether the people of Western Sahara choose greater autonomy under Moroccan leadership or independence, it should be their choice, not something bargained away in hopes of boosting the current U.S. president's domestic political chances. (responsiblestatecraft.org)
  • Bachir Mustafa Sayed told reporters in Madrid that it's not enough for the Security Council to simply restore the peacekeeping mission's role of monitoring a cease-fire between the Moroccan government and the Polisario Front. (thenews.mx)
  • The law professor explained how the EU has tried to justify its double-standards regarding Western Sahara, a region Morocco has occupied since 1976 when it was handed to its troops by Spain as it ended its colony there. (israelnationalnews.com)
  • A month later, President Donald Trump threw fuel on the fire and jeopardized the traditional U.S. role as a neutral broker between the parties by recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the territory in exchange for Morocco normalizing its relations with Israel . (crisisgroup.org)
  • Sayed downplayed speculation that Algerian support for Western Sahara independence could wane if the health of longtime Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika deteriorates. (thenews.mx)
  • Morocco relied on American pressure to ease Algeria's stance on this issue, which had long strained Moroccan-Algerian relations. (fanack.com)
  • The Algerian diplomatic machine has suffered many setbacks in 2013 in the territorial dispute opposing Algeria to Morocco about the Western Sahara. (polisario-thinktwice.org)
  • In Europe, where the Algerian regime has mobilized an armada of lobbyists to defend its interests and the separatist thesis of its protégé, the Polisario, Morocco has scored points in its struggle for its territorial integrity and sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara territory. (polisario-thinktwice.org)
  • Their decision was made just few days after the historic visit of King Mohammed VI to Washington, whose results were very disappointing for the Algerian rulers and the Polisario leaders. (polisario-thinktwice.org)
  • That status quo was ruptured last Thursday, when the European Court of Justice (ECJ) decided to strike down a 2012 trade agreement between the EU and Morocco in Western Sahara, ruling in favor of the Algerian-backed Polisario Front that fights for independence in the region. (israelnationalnews.com)
  • Both countries sought to introduce amendments to link the dispute to Morocco and Polisario exclusively, to alleviate pressure on the Algerian regime, which has continued to shirk its responsibility in the dispute. (abidjanherald.com)
  • Though the Algerian-Moroccan border has been closed since 1994, Oujda has become a main entry and expulsion point for clandestine immigrants to Morocco. (merip.org)
  • Despite a perception of the transnationalization of terrorist movements in North Africa under al-Qa'ida's banner, robust evidence of an effective al-Qa'ida's expansion in the Maghreb and the Sahara/Sahel region remains elusive at best. (humansecuritygateway.com)
  • Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa . (explained.today)
  • So ran the September 12, 2005 headline of al-Shamal , an Arabic-language Tangier newspaper, describing the forays of masses of in-transit sub-Saharan Africans trying to scale the security fences separating Morocco from the Spanish-ruled enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. (merip.org)
  • The Western Saharan narrative is also about resistance. (passblue.com)
  • In particular, the Parliament of Morocco should be invited to continue to develop a culture of human rights in Western Sahara and to be open to discussions with all representatives of Saharan civil society, as well as with the Polisario Front representatives based in the Tindouf camps, in order to develop mutual confidence and to facilitate negotiations. (coe.int)
  • Indeed, prior to President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher, most Western leaders seemed less interested in defeating the Soviets than in currying favor with them. (capitalresearch.org)
  • The dispute began when Madrid allowed Brahim Ghali, leader of the Polisario Front in favor of the independence of Western Sahara, to be treated for covid-19 in a Spanish hospital in April 2021. (globelivemedia.com)
  • The claims come amid its unwavering support for the separatist Polisario Front, which seeks to undermine Morocco's territorial integrity by claiming independence in Western Sahara. (abidjanherald.com)
  • During the Cold War, active measures were used to manipulate Western perceptions of the Soviet communist regime, promote USSR's foreign policy goals, and undermine its opponents. (capitalresearch.org)
  • Another measure was the insertion of propaganda in the Western and Third World Press, usually handled by official Soviet news agencies or the Communist Party, in order to undermine the U.S. and its allies. (capitalresearch.org)
  • The area is separated from the rest of the Western Sahara territory by "a 2,200 kilometer [1,367 mi]-long wall. (wn.com)
  • The Spanish company today, yet again, refers to the territory as part of Morocco. (wsrw.org)
  • A pivotal provision of the accord was the United States' recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over the entire Western Sahara territory. (fanack.com)
  • Western Sahara is a disputed territory, but Morocco asserts control over the region, referring to it as its "southern provinces," going back to before Spain established the region as a colony in 1884. (casasayab.com)
  • The ECJ has rejected this broad view of recognition: even making a treaty with Morocco about occupied territory does not constitute recognition. (israelnationalnews.com)
  • Mauritania's northernmost province (in its internationally recognized territory) is similarly called Tiris Zemmour , where "Zemmour" refers to a mountain range in central Western Sahara. (wikimili.com)
  • The Kingdom of Morocco claims the territory of Western Sahara and administers the territory that it controls. (state.gov)
  • The judicial activism in a relatively uncharted area in this field, external relations, was analyzed through a qualitative case study of the CJEU case Polisario Front , concerning the application of a EU trade agreement to the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara. (lu.se)
  • The territory in this case is Western Sahara, South of Morocco, who includes the territory as part of its own country. (lu.se)
  • This did not change the status of Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory, and prolonged the referendum. (iijd.org)
  • This gave the Frente POLISARIO control over approximately one-third of the territory, leaving Morocco with the other two-thirds. (iijd.org)
  • Resources originating from the territory of Western Sahara are marketed by the Moroccan government as originating from Morocco, and companies wishing to take advantage of the resources present in the territory contract through the Moroccan government or Moroccan businesses. (iijd.org)
  • Morocco is in fact exploiting the two primary resources of this territory -phosphate and fisheries-, using them for its economic and political objectives. (thenewglobalorder.com)
  • Last week, Freedom House qualified Western Sahara as the world's most unfree territory in its annual Freedom in the World report. (businessreviewafrika.com)
  • Yesterday, leading human rights NGO Human Rights Watch launched a direct appeal to all Members of the European Parliament, requesting them to refer the agreement to the EU Court of Justice over serious concerns about the compatibility with international humanitarian law of applying it to an occupied territory. (businessreviewafrika.com)
  • Western Sahara -- a North African territory and one of the last remaining official colonies, or non-self governing territories -- is controlled by Morocco . (prwatch.org)
  • Morocco also claims Ceuta and Melilla , making up about 22.8km2 more claimed territory. (explained.today)
  • It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to the east , and the disputed territory of Western Sahara to the south . (explained.today)
  • Morocco claims the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara, formerly Spanish Sahara, as its Southern Provinces. (mtbmorocco.com)
  • Morocco currently occupies two thirds of the territory, and peace processes have thus far failed to break the political deadlock. (mtbmorocco.com)
  • Since 2015, Morocco officially administers 12 regions, including one (Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab) that lies completely within the disputed territory of Western Sahara and two (Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra and Guelmim-Oued Noun) that lie partially within it. (mtbmorocco.com)
  • As a result, Western Sahara is frequently considered to be the "last colony in Africa" and remains classified by the United Nations as a "Non-Self Governing Territory. (responsiblestatecraft.org)
  • In November 2020, fighting flared up between Morocco and the Polisario Front. (crisisgroup.org)
  • On December 22, 2020, Morocco signed a tripartite agreement with Israel and the United States to normalize Moroccan-Israeli relations. (fanack.com)
  • In particular, the EU used the 'principle of non-recognition' to justify everything from its 'funding guidelines' for Horizon 2020 to not having diplomats and visiting officials across the 'Green Line,'' he said, referring to the 1949 Armistice line. (israelnationalnews.com)
  • Israel and Morocco established diplomatic relations in December 2020, with an agreement that followed the US-backed Abraham Accords. (thenewglobalorder.com)
  • After resignation of Personal Envoy of the Secretary General Horst Kohler in May 2019, the UN Security Council returned to one-year renewals of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. (state.gov)
  • Standard Moroccan Tamazight: ⵏⵏⵐⵐⵏ⴮, romanized: lmeɣrib), officially the Kingdom of Morocco (Arabic: المملكة المغربية‎, romanized: al-mamlaka al-maḡribiyya, lit. (mtbmorocco.com)
  • Several attempts have been made, notably by the United Nations, to resolve the Western Sahara issue. (wikipedia.org)
  • In 1988, both Morocco and the Polisario Front agreed to a United Nations (U.N.) Settlement Plan (the "Settlement Plan. (hrw.org)
  • Morocco submitted a plan to the United Nations in April 2007, responding to Security Council calls for a "definitive political solution" to the dispute. (casasayab.com)
  • For their part, the United Nations and the states most interested in Western Sahara have remained silent. (thenewglobalorder.com)
  • 2. At the same time, the Assembly underlines that under the terms of Resolution 1818 (2011) granting the status of partner for democracy to the Parliament of Morocco on 21 June 2011, it expects Morocco to continue to seek the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. (coe.int)
  • In Western Sahara, claimed by Morocco and the scene of continuing warfare with Sahara's Polisario independence movement, even the minimal rights accorded detainees in Morocco do not apply. (merip.org)
  • In the same context, the author of "Geopolítica del Sahara-Sahel" (Geopolitics of the Sahara-Sahel, 2013) pointed out that most African countries do not recognize Polisario puppet entity, and have chosen to " to take the path of a just and more realistic policy on the Sahara by recognizing legitimate rights of Morocco. (corcas.com)
  • In August 1995, Human Rights Watch conducted a fact-finding mission to Tindouf, Algeria and to Laayoune, the capital of the Western Sahara. (hrw.org)
  • Algeria finances, arms, shelters, and supports the Polisario Front, which takes Algeria's southernmost area of Tindouf as a shelter. (abidjanherald.com)
  • Despite the progress made by Morocco with regard to diverse questions relating to human rights and democracy, the committee is nevertheless concerned about a number of alleged human rights violations in Western Sahara, as well as the humanitarian situation in the Tindouf camps, and proposes a number of recommendations to be addressed to the Moroccan authorities and to representatives of the Polisario Front and Algeria. (coe.int)
  • The Argentinean academician concludes that in the face of continued support for the Moroccan Sahara, the isolation suffered by Polisario, joining terrorist groups, could push it to adopt "more radical" positions. (corcas.com)
  • Moreover, traditional rivalries between Morocco and Algeria, and the unsolved question of Western Sahara's sovereignty, have blocked union meetings since the early 1990s despite several attempts to re-launch the political process. (wikipedia.org)
  • A Spanish judge on Tuesday declined to order that the leader of Western Sahara's movement, who is under investigation in Spain for torture and genocide, be taken into custody. (squidsaccess.com)
  • Morocco currently controls the majority of Western Sahara's natural resources in the form of fisheries, phosphates and iron ore, and other resources. (iijd.org)
  • We strongly condemn the EU institutions undermining of the ECJ rulings and the UN peace process", Sara Eyckmans, coordinator of Western Sahara Resource Watch stated. (businessreviewafrika.com)
  • In the late 1980s and early '90s, the Polisario Front suffered a series of high-level defections and internal problems in its refugee camps. (britannica.com)
  • The UN Security Council is set to vote on the new draft resolution on Monday to extend the mandate of MINURSO, a peacekeeping operation in Western Sahara. (abidjanherald.com)
  • In a move that surprised no one, the EU Council has appealed the recent EU Court of Justice stopping EU trade and fisheries in occupied Western Sahara. (wsrw.org)
  • The Italian company Enel is one of the firms that have taken the exact same approach as the EU when carrying out 'stakeholder consultations' in Western Sahara - a procedure now found invalid by the EU Court of Justice. (wsrw.org)
  • Today, the EU Court of Justice has struck a blow to the EU's practice of applying trade and fisheries agreements with Morocco to occupied Western Sahara. (wsrw.org)
  • The EU Court of Justice will rule on the Union's trade and fisheries agreements with Morocco in occupied Western Sahara on 29 September. (wsrw.org)
  • Dear Madam, Dear Sir, Following the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union of December 2016 on the EU-Morocco Agriculture Agreement, the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) have undertaken a process to see how to conform to the said judgment. (smalgangen.org)
  • Our exercise should be consistent with the European Court of Justice ruling of 21 December 2016, be without prejudice to the UN process on Western Sahara and have the socio-economic development of the people living in Western Sahara in mind. (smalgangen.org)
  • In mid-2003, the UN Secretary General's Personal Envoy, James Baker, proposed a settlement plan, also referred to as the Baker Plan II. (wikipedia.org)
  • Notably, Resolution 2654 adopted by the UN Security Council last year stressed "the important contribution of the former Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General to Western Sahara in convening the roundtable process" and welcoming the momentum created by the first roundtable meetings in 2018 and 2019. (abidjanherald.com)
  • This is not the first time that Russia obstructs the UN-led political process - particularly with regards to negotiations over new resolutions for Western Sahara. (abidjanherald.com)
  • NEW YORK: Morocco's permanent representative to the UN on Tuesday called for a resumption of negotiations over the situation in Western Sahara. (arabnews.com)
  • During a press conference last week, Polisario invited the Union to conversations on continuation of fisheries offshore Western Sahara. (wsrw.org)
  • In the morrow of the adoption of the new EU-Morocco fisheries agreement covering the Moroccan southern provinces waters, the European Parliament declined on December 11, to include in the EU 2012 annual report on human rights and democracy in the world, an amendment on the establishment of an international mechanism to monitor human rights in Western Sahara. (polisario-thinktwice.org)
  • The former Legal Counsel to the UN Security Counsel, Mr. Hans Corell, comments on the EU's fisheries activities in Western Sahara. (wsrw.org)
  • European Parliament disregards Court and adopts Morocco fish deal European Parliament has just now voted in favour of the EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement that will be applied to the waters of occupied Western Sahara. (businessreviewafrika.com)
  • In the early afternoon of 12 February, the European Parliament gave its consent to a new Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) with Morocco - one that will be carried out primarily outside of the internationally recognised borders of Morocco: in occupied Western Sahara. (businessreviewafrika.com)
  • Consequently, Israel succeeded in establishing direct diplomatic relations with Morocco through mutual liaison offices following the agreement's signing. (fanack.com)
  • It was the first such massive incursion since Spain and Morocco repaired diplomatic relations last month. (globelivemedia.com)
  • Part of the broader "Abraham Accords" initiative spearheaded by former U.S. President Donald Trump, this agreement sought to normalize Israel's relations with Bahrain , the United Arab Emirates , Sudan and Morocco. (fanack.com)
  • Morocco expelled most U.N. civilian staff last month after Ban used the word "occupation" to refer to the situation in the region following a visit to a camp for Western Sahara refugees in Algeria. (thenews.mx)
  • Morocco further pressed for provisions that bound the United States to support economic development and investment in the Western Sahara, culminating in the establishment of an American consulate to reinforce the authority of the Moroccan government in the region. (fanack.com)
  • The UN mission in Western Sahara - and Koehler - are being pressured to resolve the outstanding issues of the region by the United States, which holds the primary decision-making role over the mission in the Security Council. (passblue.com)
  • The region constituting Morocco has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era over 300,000 years ago, and the first Moroccan state was established by Idris I in 788. (explained.today)
  • He stated, "It's very sad and humiliating that Mr Hichilema has decided to make our country a puppet and agent of imperialism against the subjugated, humiliated, and struggling courageous people of Western Sahara. (lusakatimes.com)
  • The situation is now evolving and is likely that the international community will not engage in claiming the sovereignty of Western Sahara, while, on the other hand, regional geopolitics and economic and strategic interests are reinforced. (thenewglobalorder.com)
  • Brand new ECJ ruled that meetings that have stakeholders into the Western Sahara, the spot where the Polisario would not engage, failed to meet with the endurance away from "concur. (orgullboig.org)
  • From there, we continued our drive south to the biggest city in Western Sahara, Laayoune - also referred to as SADR's capital city. (theleftberlin.com)
  • We also visited 184 elderly, wounded and disabled Moroccan former prisoners of war who were released by Polisario in 1989, as a humanitarian gesture, but have been denied the right to enter their own country by the Moroccan government. (hrw.org)
  • In this context, Morocco sought American backing to advance the Western Sahara issue based on its vision, in exchange for normalizing relations with Israel. (fanack.com)
  • Like other Arab nations, Morocco pursued multiple objectives through the normalization agreement with Israel which included enhancing its military capabilities, addressing the Western Sahara dispute and attracting foreign investments . (fanack.com)
  • The US also rejected a Russian-Mozambique maneuver, seeking to limit Algeria's role in the Western Sahara dispute. (abidjanherald.com)
  • Russia has long adopted an approach appeasing Algeria in the Western Sahara dispute. (abidjanherald.com)
  • The UN Secretary General annual report on the Sahara dispute further acknowledged Algeria's obstruction of the UN-led political process over Western Sahara. (abidjanherald.com)
  • The Union has been unable to achieve tangible progress on its goals due to deep economic and political disagreements between Morocco and Algeria regarding, among others, the issue of Western Sahara. (wikipedia.org)
  • Yet Morocco detains hundreds of political prisoners. (merip.org)
  • But in reality, U.S. recognition of Moroccan claims to Western Sahara would preempt any opportunity for Western Saharans to determine their own political future and would delegitimize the work of the U.N., whose primary mandate in Western Sahara is to "organize and ensure a free and fair referendum. (responsiblestatecraft.org)
  • A hearing in the EU Parliament indicates that there are many questions, and still few answers, on the EU's response to the EU Court ruling annulling bilateral agreements with Morocco over the inclusion of occupied Western Sahara. (wsrw.org)
  • Since the ceasefire, the U.N. has been working to organize a referendum to allow Western Saharans a vote on their future. (responsiblestatecraft.org)
  • We also visited two prisoner of war camps that house hundreds out of over two thousand Moroccan prisoners of war held by Polisario. (hrw.org)
  • Moroccan prisoners, who live in cramped, remote quarters in the harsh, desert climate, reported instances of ill-treatment by Polisario guards, inadequate food and long hours of compulsory and unpaid work, in violation of international standards. (hrw.org)
  • The idea for an economic union of the Maghreb began with the independence of Tunisia and Morocco in 1956. (wikipedia.org)
  • [15] Centuries of Arab migration to the Maghreb since the 7th century shifted the demographic scope of Morocco. (explained.today)
  • Last year, the Polisario restarted the armed struggle after Morocco's violation of the ceasefire. (theleftberlin.com)
  • Rather, our purpose was to investigate allegations that the voter identification process is not being carried out in an impartial and transparent manner and that conditions in the Western Sahara are not conducive to holding a free and fair referendum, as required by the Settlement Plan and agreed to by the parties. (hrw.org)
  • The U.N. has already been present in the Western Sahara for four years without being able to exercise the "sole and exclusive responsibility" over the referendum that it was to have assumed under the Settlement Plan. (hrw.org)