Western Sahara Conflict

What is currently happening? (BBC 2017) The conflict is a land dispute between Morocco and the native Sahrawi Spain controlled the area until global agreements made them withdraw in 1975 In the past year Morocco have provoked the Sahrawi by moving into the neutral territory of Guerguerat Morocco joined the African Union on January 31st

Why is this happening? Morocco annexed the land along with Mauritania The Sahrawi led Polisario Front disputed the land claims and proposed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) The dispute is all political after a 1991 ceasefire ending a 16 year long guerrilla war (Euronews 2017) A referendum on the fate of the region proposed in 1991 still hasn’t been held The African Union and European Union have recognised SADR The resource rich part of the Western Sahara is controlled by Morocco (The Economist 2017) 90000 refugees have been displaced from the Sahrawi (Gaffey 2016)

Consequences for those involved The Sahrawi are displaced from their land The indigenous cultures are diminished Morocco receives condemnation and trade sanctions Algeria receive an influx of refugees that drain resources Mauritania had to pull out of the region after the war (Gaffey 2016) As tensions increase the threat of war is the greatest consequence

What are the different perspectives? Morocco believe that the land is theirs and they deserve autonomy The Sahrawi believe that the land is theirs due to their heritage (El-Khalfi 2015) Algeria support the Sahrawi due to the refugee influx Mauritania are in support of the Sahrawi after giving up their stake in the land (Gaffey 2016) The African Union recognise SADR The European Union recognise SADR

How could this issue be resolved? Option 1: Continuation of War With recent advancement from the Moroccans, the Sahrawi have been provoked (El-Khalfi 2015) Morocco has become increasingly distant from the UN and Ban Ki-Moon On the other hand they support Antonio Gutteres (Euronews 2017) The un had to repeatedly intervene in the past year In gueguerat both sides have built new fortifications and armed elements Since morocco joined the African union, their rules require them to change (The economist 2017)

How could this issue be resolved? Option 2: Hold the referendum! The promised referendum has been on hold for 26 years The Polisario Front’s main aim is to get a referendum The U.N’s main aim is to facilitate a referendum (Gaffey 2016) It is the simplest of options, requiring the least work It is a democratic process that lets the people of Morocco decide

How could this issue be resolved? Option 3: Diplomatic pressure With the recent joining of the AU Morocco must make changes Members of the AU cannot infringe on others territories and SADR is a recognised nation If Morocco is to remain in the AU they must make an agreement or change in accordance with laws Moroccan land claims were rejected in 1975 by the ICJ and UN nations follow their rulings Sanctions have already been occurring both ways with the EU stopping Western Sahara trade and Morocco halting other aspects If all nations do sanction trade then Morocco will inevitably have to retreat Eventually this will lead to change and the issue being addressed (The Economist 2017)

References: BBC 2017, Western Sahara profile, accessed 5 June 2017, <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14115273>. El-Khalfi, M 2015, Conflict in Morocco Sahara, Al Jazeera, accessed 5 June 2017, <http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/07/conflict-moroccan-sahara-myths-realities-150710064216243.html>. Euronews 2017, The Western Sahara Conflict, accessed 5 June 2017, <http://www.euronews.com/2017/03/03/the-western-sahara-conflict>. Gaffey, C 2016, Western Sahara: What is the 40-year dispute all about, Newsweek, accessed 5 June 2017, <http://www.newsweek.com/western-sahara-morocco-algeria-polisario-front-435170>. The Economist 2017, The never-ending dispute, accessed 5 June 2017, <http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21717383-back-spotlight-fate-western-sahara-no-closer>. Thank You