Given the precarious nature of the situation, it is essential for the international community to move quickly to ensure this obscure conflict does not spiral into full open war. A small part of Western Sahara is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Watch Good Morning Europe's report in the player above. The United States has provided military, economic, and diplomatic support for Morocco’s war effort. The Moroccan army has launched a military operation in a buffer zone of Western Sahara, leading the Polisario Front independence movement to declare a three decade long ceasefire "over". Fears Grow of New Western Sahara War Between Morocco and Polisario Front Friday's flare-up poses the biggest risk in decades of a new phase of … Friday's flare-up poses the biggest risk in decades of a new phase of armed conflict in the remote desert region, adding to friction between Morocco and its biggest … A smaller area is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, a liberation movement of Saharan people. Your email address will not be published. Morocco troops launch operation in Western Sahara border zone. War is not the answer…and yet un-ending occupation is not the answer either. This content is not available in your region, Polisario Front declares war on Morocco over Western Sahara region, Soldiers next to armored vehicles in Western Sahara. As diplomacy scholar R. Joseph Huddleston has written: Morocco’s tactics have centred on diplomacy. Western Sahara: "Algeria's Position Towards Saharawi Issue Reflects Its Commitment to Respect International Law" (Algerian Official) SPS, 22 October 2020. Bahrain will open a consulate in Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara, Morocco's royal palace said on Thursday, joining other Arab states in supporting Rabat after the … The past few months have seen an increase in insurgent activities in Mozambique and an outbreak of a new war in Ethiopia. Indeed, a recent UN report on that current crisis noted multiple “freedom of movement” provocations in recent months. The U.S. military, unbeknownst to most people in the United States — it’s perfectly knowable but few give a damn — arms and trains and funds the militaries of the world, including almost all of the most brutal governments of the world. Polisario Front & Morocco Renew War in Western Sahara. The international community should pay … The international community should pay careful attention to the brewing conflict in the Sahara which if left unchecked could contribute to destabilizing forces across North Africa and the Sahel. Polisario Front & Morocco Renew War in Western Sahara. Western Sahara is thus not a case of frozen conflict – but rather, of a war of attrition. November 15, 2020. Requests by MINURSO to remove them from the restricted area remained unaddressed.”. It has worked hard in recent years to gather international support for its Autonomy Plan, submitted to the UN Secretary-General in 2007. The conflict erupted after the withdrawal of Spain from the Spanish Sahara in accordance with the Madrid Accords , by which it agreed to give administrative control of the territory to Morocco and Mauritania. Latin America: Democracies or Dictatorships? Now their army broke a 29-year-old ceasefire, declaring war on Morocco. HAVANA TIMES – Renewed clashes between Polisario, a leftist rebel group, and Morocco is the latest armed confrontation riling the African continent.The past few months have seen an increase in insurgent activities in Mozambique and an outbreak of a new war in Ethiopia. The U.S. military, unbeknownst to most people in the United States — it’s perfectly knowable but few give a damn — arms and trains and funds the militaries of the world, including almost all of the most brutal governments of the world. The Polisario movement fought a guerilla war against Moroccan control of Western Sahara, before a UN-brokered ceasefire in 1991 Required fields are marked *. Morocco maintains that Western Sahara is an integral part of the kingdom and has offered autonomy for the disputed territory, but insists it will retain sovereignty. Sadly, a Polisario that is even more isolated on the national stage may not make it more conducive to international peace. By Joseph Hammond* HAVANA TIMES – Renewed clashes between Polisario, a leftist rebel group, and Morocco is the latest armed confrontation riling the African continent. This would be in no one’s best interest. A small part of Western Sahara is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. The past few months have seen an increase in insurgent activities in Mozambique and an outbreak of a new war in Ethiopia. Brahim Ghali, the leader of a pro-independence group in Western Sahara, declared war on Morocco Saturday, breaking a decades-long ceasefire, the New York Times reports. In 1991, the UN-brokered a cease-fire between Moroccans and Sahrawis and established a peacekeeping mission that would help set a referendum on the territory’s future. Read more by Joseph Hammond on Havana Times. There are many reasons why I think a direct war won’t break out between Morocco and Algeria. RABAT/ALGIERS (Reuters) - The Western Sahara's Polisario Front group said on Friday that Morocco had broken their ceasefire and "ignited war", but … This seems to suggest the current clashes may have been part of a broader strategy. Western Sahara separatists say Morocco has invaded a buffer zone, but Moroccan army says the Front is … November 30, 2020 November 30, 2020 Circles Robinson 0 Comments Joseph Hammond. Already, Guyana has severed ties to the group following the resumption of clashes. Known to some as Africa's last colony, nearly 80 per cent of Western Sahara was annexed by Morocco back in 1975. Around 80 percent of the territory is administered by Morocco under the supervision of the UN peacekeeping mission. There is a new U.S. war in Western Sahara, being waged by Morocco with the support of the U.S. military. The leader of a pro-independence group in Western Sahara declared war Saturday on Morocco, shattering a three-decade-long cease-fire and threatening a full … War is not the answer...and yet un-ending occupation is not the answer either. Fears Grow of New Western Sahara War Between Morocco and Polisario Front Friday's flare-up poses the biggest risk in decades of a new phase of … Why it matters: The declaration could reignite an armed struggle and exacerbate years of animosity between Morocco and its neighbor Algeria, which hosts the independence group, the Polisario Front. Friday’s flare-up poses the biggest risk in decades of a new phase of armed conflict in the remote desert region, […] Western Sahara separatists say Morocco has invaded a buffer zone, but Moroccan army says the Front is … Africa; Americas; Asia Pacific; Europe; Middle East; Business & Technology; Commentary; Search for; Saharawi men hold up a Polisario Front flag in the Al-Mahbes area near Moroccan soldiers guarding the wall separating the Polisario controlled Western Sahara from Morocco on February 3, 2017. WAR was declared on Morocco on Friday by Western Saharan independence group the Polisario Front after troops moved into the disputed territory ahead of plans to reopen a road into neighbouring Mauritania. Western Sahara, which is home to the Sahrawi nomadic ethnic group, is a long disputed region, stretching between Morocco, Mauritania and Algeria. The Western Sahara’s Polisario Front group said on Friday that Morocco had broken their ceasefire and “ignited war”, but Rabat denied there had been any armed clashes and said the three-decade truce remained in place. Morocco’s king and the armed independence movement in the disputed region of Western Sahara appeared unwilling to make significant concessions to end the worst fighting in … December’s Here! The New U.S. War on Western Sahara. UPDATE 5-Fears grow of new Western Sahara war between Morocco and Polisario Front 14 Nov 2020 / 01:58 H. * Moroccan army says will reopen road blocked by protest Spanish investigative journalist Jose Antonio Bautista told Euronews about the declaration. By Peter Fabricius • 15 April 2020 . Morocco maintains that Western Sahara is an integral part of the kingdom and has offered autonomy for the disputed territory, but insists it will retain sovereignty. “War and Peace” in Western Sahara: Restoring Cross-Border Trade with Africa. Morocco's economy currently relies far more on tourism than it does on the Western Sahara. In response, the Polisario Front of Western Sahara ended the cease-fire and declared renewed war on Morocco. While the checkpoint blockade was meant to impact Morocco, it is worth noting that such cross-border trade affects the food security of not just Morocco but, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger and Mali. Polisario disingenuously claims that Sahrawis were simply engaging in peaceful protest in the Guerguerat buffer zone close to the southern border with Mauritania.… Even so, Morocco’s King Mohammed has reiterated his commitment to the ceasefire and peacebuilding. Breaking News; Western Sahara independence group declares war on Morocco. Brahim Ghali, the leader of a pro-independence group in Western Sahara, declared war on Morocco Saturday, breaking a decades-long ceasefire, the New York Times reports.. Why it matters: The declaration could reignite an armed struggle and exacerbate years of animosity between Morocco and its neighbor Algeria, which hosts the independence group, the Polisario Front. Photo: AFP Home/Africa/ Moroccan Army Launches Operation in Western Sahara … 16.11.2020 - Western Sahara - David Swanson This post is also available in: German Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen (left) and his wife Janet Langhart Cohen (center) meet with King Mohammed VI, of Morocco, at his palace in Marrakech, on Feb. 11, 2000. Morocco then occupied the rest of the territory, insisting that Western Sahara was an integral part of the country. We do not want to see a single Moroccan or Sahrawi killed when the entire world agrees on how to resolve this issue nonviolently. From: Inside Story Will Morocco and the Polisario Front go to war? "The announcement from the Polisario Front came after the Moroccan army launched an operation to unblock the Guerguerat pass, a United Nations–patrolled buffer zone, which had been blocked for three weeks by Saharawi activists.". If Polisario had hoped to capture international attention with the conflict, they might have been badly misguided. More still, Morocco has secured more support for its sovereignty over Western Sahara from the very countries that were once part of the Algeria-South Africa axis. It may also open opportunities for narco-traffickers who are increasingly using the Western Sahara as a transit area to increase their activities. The Polisario Front Friday declared war on Morocco, according to an official statement from the Sahrawi Republic, assuring that it is the "firm response" to the Kingdom of Morocco after an incursion by its army which attacked Sahrawi civilian demonstrators in the Guerguerat gap, south of Western Sahara. It bears stating, Morocco is the one responsible for this war. It may look like a vast desert by the Atlantic but the region is rich in phosphate, fishing banks and it is believed to have offshore oil deposits. The plan recei… The Western Sahara’s Polisario Front group said on Friday that Morocco had broken their ceasefire and “ignited war”, but Rabat denied there had been any armed clashes and said the three-decade truce remained in place. The Western Sahara War was an armed conflict, lasting from 1975 to 1991, fought primarily between the Polisario Front and Morocco. In 1991 the UN brokered a ceasefire on the basis that Morocco would hold a referendum on independence. Bahrain will open a consulate in Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara, Morocco's royal palace said on Thursday, joining other Arab states in supporting Rabat after the … Support for the Western Sahara as an independent state has ebbed over the years because of the growing importance of Morocco's $110 billion economy – the fifth largest in Africa. Under the terms of the ceasefire a line of control divides the two parties and a United Nations observer force, MINURSO, monitors the situation though such trade is supposed to continued largely uninterrupted since 1991. This would prevent the creation of an independent Western Sahara by turning it into an autonomous region within the Kingdom of Morocco. Morocco's economy currently relies far more on tourism than it does on the Western Sahara. After a full month of work the 15-member jury has given its verdicts in the 11th Havana Times Photo Contest. After the departure of Spanish colonial power in the 1970s, Morocco annexed over three-quarters of Western Sahara. While no one has died because of military clashes since 1991, the infighting has continued by other means. Though Cuban President Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez did not mention the issue during his UN address last year the Polisario Front has long been supported by Cuba’s leaders. The Polisario movement fought a guerilla war against Moroccan control of Western Sahara, before a UN-brokered ceasefire in 1991. Morocco Forces Clash With Western Sahara Fighters, Risking Wider War Fighting in the contested region threatens to unravel a U.N.-brokered truce that … War-torn countries seldom make for attractive tourist destinations, and that is exactly what Morocco will become in the event of its continued illegal occupation of the Western Sahara. 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