Situation in Western Sahara “dramatically deteriorated”, UN chief says

The situation in Western Sahara has “deteriorated considerably” over the past year, said the UN secretary general, citing the resumption of hostilities between Morocco and the independence movement Polisario in the disputed territory.

Morocco considers Western Sahara to be an integral part of its territory, but the Polisario – internationally recognized as the representative of the Saharawi people – has long sought independence.

The “resumption of hostilities between Morocco and the Frente POLISARIO is a major setback towards the achievement of a political solution”, declared Antonio Guterres in a report submitted to the Security Council.

“There remains an obvious risk of escalation as long as hostilities persist,” he added in the report, not yet published and obtained by AFP on Saturday.

“I therefore call on the parties to defuse the situation and immediately cease hostilities.”

Guterres said the two sides must agree on the appointment of a UN envoy to restart political dialogue on Western Sahara.

The Polisario waged a war of independence with Morocco from 1975 until a ceasefire brokered by the UN in 1991.

The conflict has continued to simmer, and has been without an envoy since May 2019, all the candidates proposed by Guterres being rejected on one side or the other.

In his report, Guterres noted that in November 2020, the Polisario had announced – after incidents with Morocco – that it no longer felt attached to the ceasefire.

In December 2020, then-President Donald Trump broke with previous American positions and recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the whole of Western Sahara.

President Joe Biden has yet to comment on the decision.

At the end of August, Algeria, neighbor and rival of Morocco and key support of the Polisario, broke off its diplomatic relations with Rabat, in particular on the subject of Western Sahara.

The Polisario wants a UN referendum on self-determination, while Morocco – which controls more than two-thirds of the former Spanish colony – has proposed a plan for the autonomy of the Polisario under Moroccan sovereignty.