is western sahara part of morocco

miles), has recently taken an ominous turn after decades of stalemate. Part of MINURSOs mandate was the enforcement of a ceasefire between the Moroccan military and the national liberationist Polisario Front. [citation needed]. Ottawa does not recognize the government of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), and Canadian potash companies have invested in the exploitation of Western Saharas phosphate resources, a trade which is instrumental in paying for Moroccos costly occupation of the territory.. The UNASUR supports for the achievement of a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that would provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara consistent with relevant resolutions. Within months after the 19751976 Moroccan offensive, Polisario had expanded to thousands of armed fighters. [6] Under international law, Morocco's transfer of its own civilians into occupied territory is in direct violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention (cf. The official position of the Kingdom of Morocco since 1963 is that all of Western Sahara is an integral part of the kingdom. According to the Moroccan government, in 1958 the Moroccan Army of Liberation fought Spanish colonizers and almost liberated what was then Spanish Sahara. ", "Angola reafirma compromisso de apoiar causa do Sahara Ocidental", "Decolonization Process at 'Virtual Halt', Fourth Committee Told as Annual Debate Opens, with Troubling Information Deficit in Non-Self-Governing Territories", "El Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia fortalece relaciones diplomticas con la Repblica rabe Saharaui Democrtica", "Masisi reiterates support for Sahrawi people struggle", "Fourth committee opens session with debate on decolonization, as speakers seek to balance support for shared goal with divergent views on how to get there", "List of member states of the United Nations (193) having diplomatic relations with Cambodia", "Colombia restablece las relaciones diplomticas con la Repblica Saharaui", "Statement by Ambassador Pedro Nez Mosquera, permanent representative of Cuba, at the general debate of the special political and decolonization committee (fourth committee). Morocco Demographics. During the Spanish province of Sahara, the only official flag was the flag of Spain, however, the maritime province of Villa Cisneros, which corresponds to the current territory of Western Sahara, was assigned a cornet flag that consisted of two stripes, blue the upper and yellow the lower. Bull. Therefore, both the Republican and Democratic parties have lent their support to the illegal occupation and colonization of Western Sahara, a clear refutation of the position supported by the United Nations, the African Union, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights, and the International Court of Justice. Negara; Mandala; Technology, Tradition, and the State in Africa; Legal systems. The demonstration of some 350,000 Moroccans advanced several kilometres into the Western Sahara territory. The Case of the 2020 Womens Protests in Poland. The Polisario Front (pro-independence), supported by Algeria, wants an independent state in Western Sahara, a vast desert area that Morocco considers part of its own territory. (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';fnames[2]='LNAME';ftypes[2]='text';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); NewZimbabwe.com The Zimbabwe News You Trust is Zimbabwes leading online newspaper and published by New Zimbabwe Media Ltd. [9], The Moroccan government further pointed to several treaties between it and other states, such as with Spain in 1861, the United States of America in 1786, and 1836 and with the United Kingdom in 1856 [10][11], The International Court of Justice found that "neither the internal nor the international acts relied upon by Morocco indicate the existence at the relevant period of either the existence or the international recognition of legal ties of territorial sovereignty between Western Sahara and the Moroccan State. To this end, it has streamlined bureaucracy, offered support and assistance for investment and extra aid for projects that invest the equivalent of nine and a half million euros. Today the conflict is In recent years, it has launched various plans to promote the development of Western Sahara. 110-76, 6 June 2007, pp. The Polisario Front is campaigning for an independent state in the Western Sahara, a vast stretch of phosphate-rich desert that was controlled by Spain between 1884 and 1975. There is a red star and crescent in the middle stripe. The official position of the Kingdom of Morocco since 1963 is that all of Western Sahara is an integral part of the kingdom. [195] ambassador Raymond Wolfe, permanent representative of Jamaica to the United Nations on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) 4th Committee of the 65th session United Nations general assembly, 11 October 2010, European Parliament resolution of 25 November 2010 on the situation in Western Sahara, EU Statement United Nations 4th Committee: Western Sahara, "Official Documents of the XV Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement Final document. While staying mum about the occupation and its abuses, many Western countries profit from the illegal exploitation of Sahrawi resources. The EU and Morocco. [214], On 22 February 1982, the SADR secured membership in the Organisation of African Unity. Israeli and Turkish settlers).[7]. [215], In 1984, Morocco withdrew from the AU's predecessor, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), in protest of the group's recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). [192][193], The Obama administration disassociated itself from the Moroccan autonomy plan in 2009, however, reversing the Bush-backed support of the Moroccan plan, and returning to a pre-Bush position, wherein the option of an independent Western Sahara is on the table again. On Tuesday Ramaphosa said: We are concerned about the silence that persists in the world about the struggle for self-determination for the people of Western Sahara., But Bourita stressed that Morocco will continue to defend its interests and use all the means at its disposal.. The overwhelming majority of United Nation member states have not announced any position. On 6 November 1975 approximately 350,000 unarmed Moroccans converged on the city of Tarfaya in southern Morocco and waited for a signal from King Hassan II to cross into the region of Saguia El Hamra.They brandished Moroccan flags and Qur'an; banners calling for the "return of the Erg Chebbi (Berber: , Arabic: ) is one of Morocco's several ergs large seas of dunes formed by wind-blown sand. In July 2021, she declared to have been targeted by death threats for her pro-Israel position. Algeria's role became indirect, through political and military support for the Polisario Front. Other than Morocco and the United States, no state officially recognises Morocco's annexation of Western Sahara, but some states support the Moroccan autonomy plan. Mauritania later abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979 and ceded this area to Popular Army of Saharwi Liberation (Polisario), but it was instead promptly occupied by Morocco. Mauritania withdrew all its forces and would later proceed to formally recognize the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, causing a massive rupture in relations with Morocco. The open pit phosphate mines operated by Phosboucraa (Fosbucraa). [citation needed] The fathers of many of the Polisario leaders were among the veterans of the Moroccan Southern Army, for example the father of Polisario leader Mohammed Abdelaziz. The following month, Moroccan jets attacked the Umm Dreiga refugee camps with napalm and white phosphorus bombs, killing thousands of civilians. pp. Consequently, some of these flags are no longer in official use. Sports. The Green March was a well-publicized popular march of enormous proportions. During AugustSeptember 1991 the Royal Moroccan Army (RMA) conducted offensive operations in the areas of Mehaires, Tifariti, and Bir Lahlou and cleared the area of any Polisario presence. Part of MINURSOs mandate was the enforcement of a ceasefire between the Moroccan military and the national liberationist Polisario Front. The UN has been involved since 1988 in trying to find a solution to the conflict through self-determination. According to the US Department of State's documents leaked by Wikileaks, Spain, under Zapatero, has changed its traditional position concerning the organisation of the referendum for the Western Sahara, and now supports the Moroccan position. In the fall of 1975, as a result of the Moroccan advance, tens of thousands of Sahrawis fled Morocco-controlled cities into the desert, building up improvised refugee camps in Amgala, Tifariti and Umm Dreiga. [citation needed] As the marchers reached the border, the Spanish Armed Forces were ordered not to fire to avoid bloodshed. The French Air Force deployed SEPECAT Jaguar jets to Mauritania in 1978 under the orders of President Valry Giscard d'Estaing, which repeatedly bombed Polisario columns headed for Mauritania with napalm. [citation needed] It is said to have been designed by El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed, the first president of the SADR. In the late 19th-century, Western Sahara became a Spanish colony. The SADR is a member of the African Union and says it has been recognised by more than 80 countries. Metro News. Western Sahara is listed on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories. The CCM said it had made its decision after critical articles in the Moroccan media pointed out the use of the tune, which it said was not part of the original agreement. RT @BreikaBeiba: #WesternSahara community aka #MoroccanSaharawi is happy to be part of Moroccan delegation to share #Green policy/projetcs with the rest of the world. Morocco on Thursday blasted what it called Pretorias gesticulations and agitations over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, in reaction to the South African president backing the regions independence. "Obama reverses Bush-backed Morocco plan in favor of Polisario state", House of Representatives letter to President Barack Obama, "The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic: Deserted in Western Sahara", Letter from the trade office to Congressman Joe Pitts, "U.S. proposes U.N. Western Sahara rights monitor; Morocco warns of "missteps", Moroccos autonomy proposal "cant be the only basis in these negotiations," says Samuel L. Kaplan, "Trump announces Israel and Morocco will normalize relations", "African Parliament Speaker calls for self-determination in Western Sahara", "Venezuela es invitada por el Parlamento Andino a volver a la Comunidad Andina", "Integran al Parlamento Saharaui como miembro observador en el Parlamento Andino", Statement by H.E. [213], In 2006, the SADR participated in a conference of the Permanent Conference of Political Parties of the Latin American and the Caribbean. [223], Since 1966, the United Nations request for the celebration of a referendum for enabling the "indigenous population" to exercise freely their right to self-determination. The Arab League supports Morocco's claim over the entire territory of Western Sahara. In addition to acknowledging that Western Sahara has become a recruiting post for radical Islamists, the letter affirmed that the conflict is "the single greatest obstacle impending the security and cooperation necessary to combat" terrorism in the Maghreb. Morocco is a demographically young country with 27% of its population under the age of 15, 18% between the ages of 15 and 24, 42% between 25 and 54 years old, 7% between The Moroccan government refers to Western Sahara only as "Moroccan Sahara", the "Saharan provinces"[citation needed], or the "Southern Provinces". Kapu; Colonialism and resistance. [8], The Polisario Front, mainly backed by Algeria, is described by itself and its supporters as a national liberation movement that opposes Moroccan control of Western Sahara, whilst it is considered by Morocco and supporters of Morocco's claims over the Western Sahara to be a separatist organization. The Berbers of the Maghreb in the early Middle Ages could be roughly classified into three major groups: the Zenata across the north, the Masmuda, concentrated in central Morocco, and the Sanhaja, clustered in the western part of the Sahara and the hills of the eastern Maghreb. In 1977, France intervened after a group of French technicians was taken prisoner during a raid on the Zouerate iron mines, codenaming its involvement Opration Lamantin. Morocco considers the Western Sahara, a vast stretch of mineral-rich desert and a former Spanish colony, as an integral part of its territory. 2023 elections Nigeria. In 1884 Spain claimed a protectorate over the coast from Cape Bojador to Cap Blanc. A comprehensive peace treaty was signed on August 5, 1979, in which the new government recognized Sahrawi rights to Western Sahara and relinquished its own claims. Western Sahara is on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories. Rabat Morocco on Thursday suspended the screening licence of the hit film Zanka Contact for using a music track by a singer who backed independence for the disputed Western Sahara. Part of MINURSOs mandate was the enforcement of a ceasefire between the Moroccan military and the national liberationist Polisario Front. According to Morocco, the exercise of sovereignty by the Moroccan state was characterized by official pledges of allegiance to the sultan. (Photo: Reddit), Cuba in the eye of Washingtons hurricane. In 1958 Spain joined the previously separate districts of Saguia el-Hamra (in the north) and Ro de Oro (in the south) to form the province of Spanish Sahara. Some of the states announcing support of the "right of self-determination" currently recognize the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan stressed, in his last report on Western Sahara, to the Security Council: Polisario Front and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, States supporting Polisario and the SADR on Western Sahara, States supporting Morocco's autonomy proposal, Position of United Nations Security Council permanent members, States which have not announced any position. United Nations Security Council Resolution 380, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Case Summaries: WESTERN SAHARA: Advisory Opinion", "How the US and Morocco seized the Spanish Sahara", "Historical Foundations of the Moroccanity of the Sahara", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_March&oldid=1120885776, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2015, Articles needing additional references from November 2020, All articles needing additional references, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2019, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Trading Treaty between Morocco and Spain in Madrid on 20 November 1861, Treaty of peace and friendship between the USA and Morocco, signed in Meknes on 16 September 1856, This page was last edited on 9 November 2022, at 10:04. 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