The approach of the eu towards the conflict of western sahara. Oauau and the question of western sahara pambazuka news. It relates the big events that occurred since the ceasefire in 1991, in a chronological manner, by. It borders on the atlantic ocean in the west, on morocco in the north, on algeria in the northeast, and on mauritania in the east and south. With both sides realizing that no solution through an armed conflict was possible, a ceasefire agreement was signed in 1991. Conflict resolution has placed high priority on developing lessons learned from recent efforts to mediate international conflicts.
International law and western sahara is now available. Selfdetermination, occupation and the authority to. The conflict is the continuation of the past insurgency by polisario against the spanish colonial forces in 19731975 and the subsequent western sahara war between the polisario and morocco 19751991. The territory remained disputed between morocco and local forces well into the. Readings negotiation and conflict management sloan. Peace is the only solution in this world to solve all the problems amicably.
Relations between eu and western sahara disgraceful disunity. Furthermore, reviving the western sahara dispute at the au with moroccos presence, will allow rabat to capitalize on the aus new transition, in order to benefit from more favorable terms and promote moroccos priorities in the western sahara 2. The focus is put on the propaganda campaign launched on the internet by morocco and the polisario on many occasions during the conflict. Feb 21, 2015 peace is the only solution in this world to solve all the problems amicably. The western sahara conflict also resonated at the international level. Secretary general ban kimoon to refugee camps for people displaced by the western sahara conflict has stirred up tensions in the 40year dispute. A former spanish colony, it was annexed by morocco in 1975. This war between the sahrawi indigenous polisario front. Western sahara is a sparselypopulated area of mostly desert situated on the northwest coast of africa.
It goes a long way to putting w esternsahara on the geopolitical map for those unfamiliar with the issues, and for the r est of us, it explains why this 30 year old conflict is so important, not only to the saharawis but to the great powers. Warfare in western sahara has in many ways become exemplary for modernday counterinsurgency efforts in africa and elsewhere. Images of peacekeeping in western sahara africa renewal. The barrier extends from the region bordering morocco, algeria and mauretania in the north along a length of some 2,500 kilometres to the southern end of western sahara. The conflict in western sahara how does law protect in war. The politician immediately called for talks involving morocco, mauritania, algeria and the polisaro front to be held in berlin this year. Realising a conflict free africa is the dream of every african.
Today the conflict is dominated by unarmed civil campaigns of the polisario front and their self. Algeria and morocco in the western sahara conflict by michael jacobs a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of masters of arts department of government and international affairs college of arts and sciences university of south florida major professor. The fourapproach dilemma of the western sahara conflict mohammed cherkaoui 74,000 sahrawis who were listed on the spanish census of 1974, and insisted on adding up to 120,000 moroccans to the list. Delicate diplomacy in western sahara the washington. Peaceful solution to western sahara conflict possible. The new balance of power resulting from recent political developments in the region could lead to a renegotiation of the conflict. A little known conflict has been going on in the small north african country of western sahara. Western saharas conflict tomatoes highlight a forgotten occupation.
International law and the western sahara conflict book. Pdf showdown in western sahara volume 1 download full pdf. Pitting local nationalist determination against moroccan territorial ambitions, the dispute is further complicated by regional tensions with algeria and the geostrategic concerns of major global players, including the united states, france, and the territorys. Learn from western sahara experts like oxfam and matthew russell lee. The conflict in western sahara was a dispute between western sahara frente polisario and morocco which constitutes a big threat to regional stability after decolonization in 1975 by spanish powers.
Western sahara conflict chronology spanish colonisation 1884 at the berlin conference the european powers divide up the african continent. If you have time, read as much of essentials of negotiation as you can at least read chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4 which introduce the book. The oau assembly consequently adopted resolution ahrres. Chapter i provides background information on the western sahara. From 5 to 7 june, parties to the western sahara conflict met for the seventh round of informal talks. Chapter ii discusses the international political developments affecting the western sahara. The western sahara dispute, stanford, hoover institution press 1983. Selfdetermination, occupation and the authority to exploit. The western sahara conflict is an ongoing conflict between the polisario front and the kingdom of morocco. The sahrawi arab democratic republic sadr is proclaimed by the polisario front in bir lehlu, western sahara. The western sahara conflict, now in its 35th year, is a conflict that challenges concepts of territorial sovereignty and selfdetermination and of the alleged linkage between them. Western sahara, the security council has in fact fudged the issue in a way that could seriously prejudice the negotiations it has called for.
Prior to the adoption, on 19 april, the council was briefed by the secretarygeneral. If you have read the book before, this edition has been revised, so please read it again. This is because it is politically costly and difficult for countries in conflict to negotiate a free trade agreement. Centuries before the spanish colonization, morocco has exercised religious control over the western sahara since the 8th century ad. Legal status of moroccos use of the natural resources of western sahara, association of the bar of the city of new york, april 2011. A history of the western sahara conflict pambazuka news. In times of economic crisis and rising unemployment in north africa, western sahara s natural resources have become fiercely contested treasures.
Jan 11, 2018 a little known conflict has been going on in the small north african country of western sahara. Conflict place should be shared to the both countries equally. Spain commences its colonisation of the western sahara. The council adopted resolution 1979 on 27 april, extending minursos mandate until 30 april 2012 and adopting important language on human rights. The role of natural resources in decolonization, current african issues 33 nai current african issues olsson, claes on. It divides the moroccanoccupied and administered part of western sahara from the free zone controlled by the polisario liberation movement. The western sahara conflict or polisario front dispute for independence is an ongoing conflict between the polisario front of the sahrawi people and the state of morocco. William zartman, ed peacemaking in international conflict. On africas atlantic coast, at the western extremity of the arab world, lies western sahara, site of africas longest postcolonial conflict.
The legal issues involved in the western sahara dispute. A deceptive calm in the moroccancontrolled western sahara, a semblance of stability and calm. The study focuses on the period from january 2010 to june 20 3. The western sahara conflict has proven to be one of the most protracted and intractable struggles facing the international community. The purpose of investigating the conflict over the western sahara is to trace and analyze its impact upon the political stability of the northwest region of the african continent. Moroccos control of the last colony in africa is at the centre of campaigners legal challenge to the. Chapter iii discusses the positions of morocco, the. List of books and articles about western sahara conflict.
Western sahara, territory occupying an extensive desert atlanticcoastal area of northwest africa. International relations regional focusarea studies algerian foreign relations colonialism analysis decolonization french foreign relations geopolitics moroccan foreign relations national self determination political aspects social aspects sahrawis selfdetermination, national spanish. International law and the question of western sahara. Western sahara has been on the united nations list of nonselfgoverning territories since the 1960s when it was a spanish colony. Discover the best western sahara books and audiobooks. What are some solutions to the conflict of western sahara. Western sahara conflict wikipedia republished wiki 2. Western sahara and dozens of interviews, this paper examines the security risks of the persistence of the conflict by analyzing the destabilizing forces that heighten local tensions and regional instability. May 14, 2018 western sahara is a sparselypopulated area of mostly desert situated on the northwest coast of africa. The moroccopolisario war, which briefly saw mauritania.
Rather, the moroccan administration of western sahara must be said to be conducted in a way which is contrary to the interests and wellbeing of most of the saharawi people traditionally inhabiting western sahara, both regarding the extraction of natural resources 29, and regarding the presence of military, police and gendarmerie, being. Read western sahara books like 40 years of exile and exclusive for free with a free 30day trial. The conflict originated from an insurgency by the polisario front against spanish colonial forces from 1973 to 1975 and the subsequent western sahara war against morocco between 1975 and 1991. The roots of a desert war, westport, lawrence hill, 1983. The western sahara conflict, loselose scenarios, and impacts to united states regional strategic objectives thesis pdf available may 2018 with 385 reads how we measure reads. It is also a manifestation of the struggle for regional hegemony between algeria and morocco and, by extension, a struggle by both regional powers to capture the. Bolton is known for supporting a selfdetermination referendum for western sahara, as advocated by polisario and algeria, and years ago called for a withdrawal of minurso as a way to pressure morocco and polisario to work out a deal on the final status of western sahara. In this edition, we highlight the current hotspots. In january 1976, the moroccan bombardment of camps that had been set up outside the western saharan cities caused thousands of casualties and forced tens of thousands of sahrawi to flee once again, this time. In addition, the may 2016 death of the sadrs secretary general, mohamed abdelaziz, a. Moroccan planes bombard sahrawi civilians fleeing the conflict with napalm and cluster bombs. The conflict of moroccan sahara vs the conflict of western sahara this research project examines the peace process for the longlasting conflict of western sahara. Discover western sahara books free 30day trial scribd.
Morocco has announced the withdrawal of its forces from a u. The dynamics of the entire phosphate market, then, could be shaped significantly by the conflict in western sahara, its resolution, or its continued. Western sahara article about western sahara by the free. This war between the sahrawi indigenous polisario front and morocco has resulted in thousands of. The reference mechanism enables national courts to question the court of justice on the interpretation or validity of eu law.
Sahara occidental is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the maghreb region of north and west africa, partially controlled by the selfproclaimed sahrawi arab democratic republic and partially occupied by neighboring morocco. Using the case of western sahara conflict, the goal of this study is to gain insight into those seven techniques in online propaganda messages. The author of the following paper highlights that the conflicts about the control of western sahara have been quite long. Pdf the western sahara conflict, loselose scenarios. The war has caused thousands of lives, big numbers of prisoners of war on both sides and has led to morocco constructing a huge fortified wall in. The armed conflict in the western sahara caused the displacement of tens of thousands of sahrawis to the eastern border of the territory. The present paper invokes the subject of western sahara and morocco disputed territory. The case of the united nations efforts to mediate an end to the seemingly intractable conflict in the western sahara is particularly instructive. The western sahara conflict has eluded resolution for so long that the principles underlying united nationsled efforts to seek an enduring outcome have become muddied almost to the point of. The conflict in western sahara how does law protect in. Feb 08, 2018 western sahara is in a complicated situation.
Pdf the western sahara conflict, loselose scenarios, and. Pdf the morocco, western sahara conflict contextuality. People of both country should be given equal rights to g. It became a protectorate of spain in the 19th century and was later claimed by morocco, mauritania, and local inhabitants. The conflict began when 350,000 moroccans marched into the formerly spanishcontrolled region in 1975, generating armed resistance by the polisario front movement of the local sahrawi. A deceptive calm in the moroccancontrolled western sahara, a.
More than 30 years after the war began, the displacement of large numbers of people and a ceasefire in 1991 that froze military positions, its end remains remote. The western sahara conflict is both one of the worlds oldest and one of its most neglected. Humanitarian situation reports, response plans, news, analyses, evaluations, assessments, maps, infographics and more on western sahara. Set during the height of the cold war, the western sahara conflict saw western powers back morocco and the african union and nonaligned movement rally to polisario where soviet influence was more indirect. The fourapproach dilemma of the western sahara conflict. Zoubir and daniel volman eds, international dimensions of the western sahara conflict, westport, praeger, 1993.