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Moroccan and Algerian representatives to the United Nations expressed their differences over the fate of Western Sahara. Algiers reiterated the need for a referendum on the fate of the former Spanish colony, while Morocco claimed it as a part of its kingdom
Moroccan and Algerian representatives to the United Nations expressed their differences over the fate of Western Sahara. Algiers reiterated the need for a referendum on the fate of the former Spanish colony, while Morocco claimed it as a part of its kingdom.
Algerian Ambassador Amar Bendjama has called for justice, decolonization, freedom, self-determination, and human rights for the Western Sahara. He said that the Sahrawi people have been waiting for nearly half a century for the UN to do them justice.
The United Nations (UN) considers Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory. But over 80 percent of Western Sahara is controlled by Morocco. The Kingdom envisions autonomy for the region though Algeria claims that its real intention is to exert control over the country. Algeria has supported the Polisario Front, an independence movement led by the region’s Indigenous Sahrawi population.
A UN mission has been deployed in Western Sahara since 1991. It is tasked with organizing a referendum on the territory’s future. The proposed referendum has never taken place. In late 2020, the Polisario announced it was resuming fighting after a long cease-fire. Meanwhile, Algeria expressed condolences to Morocco, in the wake of the country’s deadly earthquake earlier this month. The retort of the Moroccan Ambassador Omar Hilale was that one should not shed crocodile tears and at the same time attack a country that is still living through a tragedy.
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It may be recalled that the US has recognized Morocco’s claims over Western Sahara in 2020. This was a quid pro quo for Rabat’s rapprochement with Israel. Since then, the Kingdom has deployed increasingly offensive diplomacy to rally other countries around its position. There is a sizable Jewish population in Morocco. Although most of the Jews migrated from the North African country to Israel during the Zionist movement, they used to visit their ancestral homes. That is also a source of income for the Moroccans.
