#MINURSO

[warhogsdefense]

The ARW ( acronym of "Army Ranger Wing", Sciathán Fianóglach an Airm, "SFA" in Irish) is the special operations force of the Irish Defence Forces. It was born on 16th March 1980 with the primary role of counter terrorism and evolved to both special operations and counter terrorism roles from 2000 after the end of conflict in Northern Ireland. Their HQ is based in Curragh Camp, County Kildare and in 2015 White Paper on Defence announced that the strength of the ARW would be considerably increased due to operational requirements at home and overseas. The size of this unit is classified and their roles are counter-terrorism, special operations, direct action, counterinsurgency and special reconnaissance. Their motto says: "Glaine ár gcroí, Neart ár ngéag, agus beart de réir ár mbriathar", that means "The cleanliness of our hearts, The strength of our limbs, and our commitment to our promise". Their colours are black, red and gold and they operated in the following missions: UNOSOM II; INTERFET; UNPROFOR; UNFICYP; UNIFIL; MINURSO; UNMIL; MINURCAT; MINUSMA. The ARW trains with special forces units around the world, particularly in Europe. The ARW in its domestic counter terrorism role trains and deploys with the Garda Síochána (national police) specialist armed intervention unit, the Emergency Response Unit (ERU). #ireland #irish #🇮🇪 #specialoperationforces #specialforces #special #forces #operators #specialoperators #army #irisharmy #military #unit #militaryunit #informational #information (em Irlanda) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmUMcLSLh28/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[claudiodangelo59]

OGGI 5 LUGLIO,

ITALIANO RICORDA…

1992

MISSIONI DELL’ESERCITO ITALIANO ALL’ESTERO

SAHARA OCCIDENTALE

MISSIONE ONU “MINURSO”

MISSION DES NATIONS UNIES POUR L'ORGANISATION D'UN RÉFÉRENDUM AU SAHARA OCCIDENTAL

RESTA FERITO NELLO SCOPPIO DI UNA MINA ANTICARRO L’OSSERVATORE MILITARE ITALIANO CAPITANO DI ARTIGLIERIA DA MONTAGNA STEFANO BASSET MEDAGLIA DI BRONZO AL VALOR MILITARE

La missione di pace delle Nazioni Unite nel Sahara Occidentale è denominata “MINURSO”.

Il nome è un acronimo francese: "Mission des Nations Unies pour l'Organisation d'un Référendum au Sahara Occidental" - Missione delle Nazioni Unite per il referendum nel Sahara Occidentale.

La missione ONU “MINURSO” iniziò nel 1991, come parte del programma di soluzione del conflitto, iniziato con il cessate il fuoco nel conflitto fra il Marocco e il FRONTE POLISARIO (e l'organo di autogoverno politico Repubblica Democratica Araba dei Sahraui), sul territorio contestato del Sahara Occidentale (già Sahara spagnolo).

Il punto di arrivo della missione è proclamare i risultati del referendum di autoderminazione in cui i saharawi, la popolazione locale, del Sahara Occidentale sceglieranno fra l'integrazione col Marocco e l'indipendenza.

Il mattino del 5 luglio 1992, durante una ricognizione condotta a bordo di un fuoristrada dell’ONU, mentre percorreva una pista nel deserto già battuta altre volte nel corso dei mesi precedenti, il veicolo condotto da un collega osservatore statunitense ha urtato una mina anticarro che è esplosa.

L’allora Capitano di Artiglieria da Montagna Stefano BASSET (ex Allievo del 160° Corso “Patria e Dovere”), classe 1959, milanese, sposato con Elisabetta, con 4 figli e residente a TRENTO riportò gravi ferite che solo per una serie di fortunate coincidenze non lo condussero a una prematura morte.

Dopo un calvario di oltre una ventina di interventi chirurgici è riuscito a tornare a una vita quasi normale, con un occhio in meno, postumi dolorosi di fratture varie e più basso di 2 cm persi nella compressione delle vertebre a seguito dell’onda d’urto dell’esplosione della mina.

Al Capitano Basset, oggi Generale di Divisione del Ruolo d’Onore e già Direttore del Museo storico nazionale degli Alpini di TRENTO, è stata conferita, con decreto del Presidente della Repubblica in data 20 luglio 1993, su proposta del Ministero della Difesa, la Medaglia di Bronzo al Valor Militare con la seguente motivazione:

“Ufficiale osservatore ONU assegnato al "Gruppo osservatori militari italiani per il referendum nel Sahara occidentale", nonostante oggettive difficoltà ambientali, caratterizzate da estreme condizioni di pericolo, offriva con generosità ed abnegazione la propria totale disponibilità per il buon esito della missione di pace. Nel corso di una ricognizione lungo una pista carrabile nei pressi di Mahbas, mentre in qualità di comandante di pattuglia si trovava a bordo di una autovettura ONU con altro ufficiale statunitense, veniva investito dallo scoppio di una mina anticarro, riportando gravi e permanenti lesioni. Dopo l'incidente, benché gravemente ferito, teneva costantemente un comportamento altamente lodevole, sereno e coraggioso, meritandosi unanime plauso ed apprezzamento. Fulgido esempio di massima dedizione al servizio, sprezzo del pericolo, profonda abnegazione e fede nella propria missione, contribuiva a dare lustro, in ambito nazionale ed internazionale, all'Esercito Italiano. – Mahbas (Sahara Occidentale), 5 luglio 1992”.

In una intervista rilasciata a uno dei maggiori quotidiani italiani, a proposito dell’episodio che l’ha visto suo malgrado sfortunato protagonista, il Generale di Divisione RO MBVM Stefano BASSET ha dichiarato:

“Della mia vita rifarei tutto, sia nella vita privata e sia nella mia vita di soldato, tranne una cosa… se potessi tornare a quel giorno del luglio ’92 direi all’autista di cambiare strada per rientrare alla base nel Sahara”.

[westsahara]

Marokkanische Sahara: Die Republik Slowenien würdige den marokkanischen Autonomieplan als „die gute Grundlage“ zu Gunsten von einer definitiven Lösung

Rabat–Die Republik Slowenien würdigte den marokkanischen Autonomieplan als „die gute Grundlage zu Gunsten von einer  definitiven Lösung auf einvernehmlichem Wege“ des Regionalkonflikts rund um die marokkanische Sahara unter der Ägide des Generalsekretärs der Vereinten Nationen und seines persönlichen Gesandten.

Diese Position ist in der gemeinsamen Erklärung bezogen worden, die im Anschluss an die Gespräche zwischen dem Minister für auswärtige Angelegenheiten, für afrikanische Zusammenarbeit und für die im Ausland lebenden Marokkaner, Herrn Nasser BOURITA, und der slowenischen stellvertretenden Premierministerin und Ministerin für auswärtige und für europäische Angelegenheiten, Frau Tanja FAJON, am Dienstag, dem 11. Juni 2024 in Rabat bekanntgegeben worden ist.

Die Republik Slowenien bekundete ihre beständige Unterstützung zu Gunsten von dem unter der Ägide der Vereinten Nationen durchgeführten Prozess auf politischem Wege, in diesem Zusammenhang die ernsthaften und die glaubwürdigen Bemühungen des Königreichs Marokko würdigend, eine realistische, pragmatische, dauerhafte und für beide Parteien annehmbare Lösung auf politischem Wege für die Frage der marokkanischen Sahara erzielen zu dürfen, welche auf Kompromissgeist beruhe, stellte man in der gemeinsamen Pressemitteilung klar heraus.

Die beiden Minister, fuhr dieselbe Quelle fort, bezogen ihre gemeinsame Position in Bezug auf die exklusive Rolle der Vereinten Nationen im Prozess auf politischem Wege, ihre Unterstützung zu Gunsten von den einschlägigen Resolutionen des UNO-Sicherheitsrates bekundend, mit einschließlich zu Gunsten von der Resolution Nr. 2703, welche am 30. Oktober 2023 verabschiedet worden ist.

Sie bekundeten überdies die Unterstützung ihrer jeweiligen Länder zu Gunsten von den Bemühungen des persönlichen Gesandten des Generalsekretärs der Vereinten Nationen, die darauf abzielen, den Prozess auf politischem Wege ausgehend von den einschlägigen Resolutionen des UNO-Sicherheitsrats vorantreiben zu haben, sowie ihre Unterstützung der MINURSO gegenüber.

Diese konstruktive Position der Republik Slowenien, des 16. Staates der Europäischen Union, die dem marokkanischen Autonomieplan unter die Arme greife, ist Teil einer internationalen Dynamik, in deren Rahmen mehr als hundert UNO-Mitgliedsstaaten diese Initiative unterstützt haben und sie unterstürzen.

Die slowenische stellvertretende Premierministerin und Ministerin für auswärtige und für europäische Angelegenheiten stattet dem Königreich Marokko auf Einladung von Herrn BOURITA anlässlich der Feierlichkeiten zum 32. Jahrestag der Aufnahme diplomatischer Beziehungen zwischen dem Königreich Marokko und der Republik Slowenien einen offiziellen Besuch ab.

Quellen:

http://www.corcas.com

http://www.sahara-social.com

[jaguarmen99]

1　外交基本方針 （1）アフリカ北西部に位置するモロッコは，同じアラブ・イスラム諸国との関係に加え，アフリカ，地中海諸国の一員として，これらの国との密接な関係を有している。また，地理的に隣接する欧州や歴史的に関係の深い米国とも良好な関係を有するなど，柔軟で多角的な外交を行っている。 （2）モロッコにとっての最大の外交課題は，西サハラ（旧スペイン領）問題である。同地域の大部分は，現在はモロッコの実効支配下にあるが，これに抵抗するポリサリオ戦線は，「サハラ・アラブ民主共和国（S.A.D.R）」の樹立を宣言しており，1984年にはS.A.D.Rのアフリカ統一機構（OAU，アフリカ連合（AU）の前身）への加盟が認められたため，モロッコはOAUを脱退した。国連は，同地域の帰属を問う住民投票を提案し，これに基づいて，1991年以降「国連西サハラ住民投票監視団（MINURSO）」を派遣しているが，有権者認定手続を巡るモロッコとポリサリオ戦線側の対立から，これまで住民投票は実施されていない。 　モロッコは，2007年4月，住民投票の代替案として，モロッコの主権下で西サハラ地域に自治権を付与するとの案を国連に提出。これを受け，国連安保理は西サハラ問題の解決のため，当事者（モロッコとポリサリオ戦線）に前提条件なしで交渉に入るよう要請することを主旨とする決議1754を全会一致で採択。同決議に基づき，2007年6月から2008年3月にかけて，国連事務総長特使の仲介の下，モロッコ，ポリサリオ戦線及び近隣国（アルジェリア，モーリタニア）の参加を得た直接交渉が計4回開催されたが，事態は膠着。2009年1月，ロス国連事務総長特使が任命され，同年8月以降，累次非公式会合が実施されてきたが，議論は進展しなかった。2017年4月，ケーラー国連事務総長特使が任命され，2018年12月及び2019年3月にはジュネーブにおいて，モロッコ，アルジェリア，モーリタニア，ポリサリオ戦線の参加の下，ラウンドテーブルを開催。次回開催時期未定。2019年5月には同特使が健康上の問題を理由に辞任。後任未定。 （3）2016年10月，モロッコは，国連気候変動枠組条約第22回締約国会議（COP22）をホスト。今後2030年までに，総発電力の52％を再生可能エネルギーで賄うとの目標を掲げるなど，環境問題に積極的に取り組んでいる。 （4）2017年1月，モロッコはアフリカ連合（AU）に加盟（AUの前身であるアフリカ統一機構（OAU）脱退以来の復帰）。サブサハラ諸国との政治・経済関係強化政策を推進。

モロッコ基礎データ｜外務省

[africanunionpress]

047- Womp Womp

10th of November, 2022

Tension has recently escalated in Western Sahara following Morocco's sudden closure of the Berm Wall, a barrier that divided the region, leaving the Sahrawi people with no alternative but to face forceful deportation. This unexpected move by Morocco has resulted in a significant decline in support for the proposed referendum, which had been seen as a potential resolution to the long-standing dispute between Morocco and the Polisario Front, representing the Sahrawi people.

Previously, there had been hopes that the reopening of the Berm Wall would lead to a more peaceful situation in the region. However, Morocco's abrupt closure of the wall has instead ignited feelings of animosity and disillusionment within the community. This development has further complicated an already intricate Western Sahara issue, with no clear path forward.

As a result, the situation in Western Sahara remains unresolved, leaving individuals in a state of legal limbo. Self-governance, as mandated by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), has not been achieved. The only signs of any semblance of stability can be found in the refugee camps established by the government of Algeria, which provide safety and refuge for the displaced Sahrawi individuals.

The future of the Sahrawi people continues to hang in the balance, with their aspirations for self-determination and a secure future yet to be realized. In the end, it is what it was. 

[sogaps-blog]

Dende a Delegación Saharauí en Galicia e SOGAPS, facemos un chamamento a todas as familias galegas para que poidan vir o máximo número posible de nenos e nenas Saharauís á nosa comunidade autónoma este verán.

Grazas ao programa “Vacacións en Paz”, estes menores poden escapar das altas temperaturas do deserto no verán (que superan mesmo os 50º á sombra), superar os exames médicos pertinentes, aprender e mellorar o seu dominio do castelán (segunda lingua oficial nos Campamentos de Refuxiados), e descansar da durísima realidade que viven día a día.

A vida destes nenos, nacidos no exilio, transcorre nas mesmas circunstancias que o resto da Poboación Saharauí, privada en do máis elemental, e sobrevivindo dificilmente grazas á axuda humanitaria internacional.

Faite familia acolledora. Infórmate chamando ao 986 26 26 37 polas mañás, ou mandando un email a asociacionsogaps@yahoo.es ou a info@sogaps.org.

[rightsinexile]

Western Sahara Newsletter: November 2018

This monthly update was issued by Adala UK on 15 November 2018. It is reprinted here with permission.

Refugee camps

Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the Polisario Front agree to talks on Western Sahara

Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the Polisario Front have accepted a UN invitation to hold talks in December on ending the decades-old conflict in Western Sahara, according to UN officials. Seeking to re-launch the political process, UN envoy Horst Koehler has invited the four parties to Geneva on December 5-6 for a first round of meetings that could pave the way to formal negotiations.

The last round of UN-sponsored informal talks was held in 2012. The preliminary talks may quickly hit a wall as Morocco maintains that negotiations on a settlement should focus on its proposal for autonomy for Western Sahara. The Polisario insists that the status of the territory should be decided in a referendum on independence. Algeria also maintains that a solution to the conflict must uphold the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination.

The United Nations brokered a ceasefire deal between Morocco and the Polisario in 1990 that provided for a referendum, but the vote never materialised. A small peacekeeping mission of some 700 personnel is monitoring the ceasefire line but the Security Council has put fresh pressure on the sides to return to the negotiating table. A settlement in Western Sahara would allow the UN mission there, known as MINURSO, to end its mission at a time when the United States is seeking to reduce the cost of peace operations.

In his invitation to the parties, Koehler asked the sides to submit proposals for talks and has described the Geneva meeting as a round-table discussion. The planned talks were discussed at the Security Council late in October when the mandate renewal for MINURSO was agreed for another six months.

Read more here: Four parties agree to Western Sahara talks

Boujdour Camp hosts 12th edition of ARTifariti Festival

The 12th edition of the International Arts and Human Rights Encounters in the Western Sahara Festival (known as; ARTifariti), took place in October. This year’s international cultural event was held under the motto ‘A poem from all’ and brought together artists and activists from different countries around the world. Activities included workshops, exhibitions, documentary screenings and artwork presentations. Participants also visited the Liberated Territories of Western Sahara.

The annual event is an opportunity for artists to exchange knowledge and expertise, to improve human rights and to strengthen the international solidarity movement.

Read more here: Wilaya of Boujdour hosts 12th edition of ARTifariti

Occupied Territories

Saharawi political prisoners: Hunger strike is the only option

As of 31 October 2018, according to data from the Polisario Front, there were 48 Saharawi political prisoners in Moroccan prisons. The majority of these prisoners are kept in prisons in Morocco that are around 1200 kilometres from the prisoners’ homeland. This contravenes the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict which has been ratified by Morocco.

Many of the prisoners feel that the only way they can oppose the conditions they are facing is by going on hunger strike. Recently, the Saharawi political prisoner El Bachir Khadda (serving a 20 year sentence for his involvement in the Gdeim Izik protests, spent 43 days on hunger strike (ending on 30 October 2018) in response to the continuous mistreatment he receives and the isolation to which he is subjected. Earlier in the year he had staged another 33-day hunger strike.

Read more here: La huelga de hambre, única opción de los presos políticos saharauis [in Spanish]

Natural resources

EU Parliament divided on proposed trade agreement with Morocco that will include products from Western Sahara.

Members of the European Parliament have requested more clarity before voting on the Commission's proposed trade deal for Western Sahara. Concurrently, 93 Western Sahara civil society groups lament the Parliament rapporteur's lack of diligence on the file.

On 5 November 2018, in the European Parliament's International Trade Committee (INTA), Patricia Lalonde MEP presented her report on extending the EU-Morocco trade deal into the parts of Western Sahara that are under Moroccan occupation. Mme. Lalonde favours the extension, saying it will bring benefits to the ‘local populations’ and that the development of the territory must be furthered. However, Mme. Lalonde did not refer to the will of the people of the territory - the cornerstone principle of the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union of December 2016.

The ruling concluded that no EU-Morocco trade or association agreement could be applied to Western Sahara unless with the express consent of the people of the territory. That conclusion triggered the EU to start negotiations with Morocco for an amendment to two Protocols to the EU's Association Agreement with Morocco, so that it would henceforth apply explicitly to Western Sahara. The European Parliament is currently in the process of evaluating whether or not to support that amendment, which would result in a trade arrangement for Western Sahara through Morocco - the country that holds two-thirds of Western Sahara under military occupation since 1975.

Importantly, the trade preferences granted to Morocco will be extended only to the part of Western Sahara that is under Moroccan occupation - not to the part controlled by Polisario that is east of the Berm; the militarily fortified 2700km wall that Morocco built during the war years, which to date effectively divides the territory and separates Saharawi families. Mme Lalonde did not address why the supposed benefits would only be destined for one part of Western Sahara and not the other, nor how this effective re-drawing of international borders holds under the EU's duty of respecting territorial integrity.

While several shadow rapporteurs (Salvatore Cicu MEP for EPP, Elena Valenciano MEP for S&D, Sander Loones MEP for ECR and Tiziana Beghin MEP for EFDD considered Lalonde’s report to be balanced, the other shadows (Heidi Hautala MEP for the Greens/NGL and Anne-Marie Mineur MEP for the GUE/NGL) and all other MEPs taking the floor remained critical of the proposal. Two main points were expressed: that the people of Western Sahara had not consented to the proposed trade deal for their territory, and that there is no mechanism included in the proposal that will allow for clarity on the true origin of products being exported from the territory.

The International Trade Committee will vote on Mme. Lalonde's report on 3 December 2018.

Read more here: EU Parliament divided on vague Western Sahara agreement

[minnesotafollower]

U.N. Security Council Adopts Resolution Regarding the Western Sahara Situation

U.N. Security Council Adopts Resolution Regarding the Western Sahara Situation

On April 27, 2018, the U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 2414 (2018) Regarding the Situation in the Western Sahara. This resolution was offered by the U.S. and adopted, 12-0 (with abstentions by China, Ethiopia and the Russian Federation).[1]

After a long preamble, the resolution provided, in part, as follows:[2]

“1. Decides to extend the mandate of MINURSO until 31 October 2018;

“2. Empha…

[zvaigzdelasas]

14 Jun 22

[westsahara]

C24: Sierra Leone bekundet seine Unterstützung der  marokkanischen Autonomieinitiative gegenüber

Caracas–Sierra Leone bekundete während des Regionalseminars der C24 für die Karibik, das vom 14. bis zum 16. Mai 2024 in Caracas zustande kam, seine Unterstützung zu Gunsten von der vonseiten des Königreichs Marokko unterbreiteten Autonomieinitiative zwecks der  definitiven Beilegung des Regionalkonflikts rund um die marokkanische Sahara.

Der stellvertretende ständige Vertreter Sierra Leones bei den Vereinten Nationen, der Botschafter Herr Amara SOWA, verwies darauf, dass sein Land der Autonomieinitiative unter die Arme greife, die der Sicherheitsrat in dessen sukzessiven einschlägigen Resolutionen bezogen auf den Jahrgang 2007 als ernsthaft und glaubwürdig benannte.

Gleichzeitig würdigte der sierra-leonische Diplomat die sozioökonomische und infrastrukturelle Entwicklung in den südlichen Provinzen des Königreichs Marokko, unterstreichend, dass diese Dynamik das Erstarken der lokalen Population und die Verbesserung der Indikatoren der menschlichen Entwicklung in dieser Region begünstigt habe.

Er würdigte überdies die Beteiligung an diesem Regionalseminar vonseiten von Vertretern der marokkanischen Sahara, die bei den Wahlen vom 8. September 2021 demokratisch wiedergewählt worden sind.

Herr SOWA brachte darüber hinaus die unerschütterliche Unterstützung seines Landes zu Gunsten von dem  Prozess auf politischem Wege zur Sprache, der unter der Ägide des UNO-Generalsekretärs mit der Unterstützung seines persönlichen Gesandten für die marokkanische Sahara, Herrn Staffan de Mistura, durchgeführt wird, darauf abzielend, eine realistische, pragmatische, dauerhafte und politische Lösung erzielen zu dürfen, welche für beide Parteien  akzeptabel sei und welche auf dem Kompromissgeist beruhe.

In diesem Zusammenhang betonte der Diplomat, dass Sierra Leone die Wiederaufnahme des Prozesses der Gespräche am runden Tische im gleichen Format und mit den gleichen Beteiligten gemäß der Resolution 2703 des Sicherheitsrats unterstütze und davon felsenfest überzeugt sei, dass dieser Prozess die Kommunikation verbessern dürfte und eine Lösung auf friedensstiftendem Wege dieses Regionalkonflikts nach sich führen würde.

Der stellvertretende ständige Vertreter Sierra Leones bei den Vereinten Nationen pries überdies die Rolle der Regionalkommissionen des Nationalen Menschenrechtsrats in Laâyoune und in Dakhla sowie die Interaktion des Königreichs Marokko mit den Sonderverfahren des Menschenrechtsrats der Vereinten Nationen, wie es in der Resolution Nr. 2703 des Sicherheitsrates klar herausgestellt wird.

Mit Bezug auf die humanitäre Lage in den Lagern Tinduf, im Südwesten Algeriens, forderte der Diplomat die Registrierung und die Zählung der Population dieser Lager ein.

Er brachte auch die Unterstützung seines Landes zu Gunsten von der  MINURSO und zu Gunsten von deren Beitrag zur Schaffung und zur Aufrechterhaltung der Ruhe und der Stabilität in dieser Region zum Ausdruck, die Notwendigkeit unterstreichend, der Mission weiterhin bei der Ausübung ihrer Funktionen zur Überwachung des Waffenstillstands unter die Arme greifen zu haben, wie es in der Resolution Nr. 2703 des Sicherheitsrats eingeplant ist.

Er forderte außerdem die Einhaltung des Waffenstillstandsabkommens ein, darauf verweisend, dass jeder Verzicht auf dieses Abkommen einen Verstoß den vonseiten des Sicherheitsrates verabschiedeten  Resolutionen entgegen und ein Hindernis für die Wiederaufnahme des Prozesses auf politischem Weg darstelle.

Zum Schluss möchte ich etliche Parteien dazu auffordern, sich in Gutgläubigkeit und im Geiste des Kompromisses im derzeitigen  Prozess auf politischem Weg engagieren zu haben.

Quellen:

http://www.corcas.com

http://www.sahara-social.com

[everything1011]

Morocco And Western Sahara: “A Complicated Relationship”

The stewing 46-year-old clash among Morocco and the Polisario Front over the contested domain of Western Sahara, a Northwest African space of around 252,120 km2 (approximately 97,000 sq. miles), has as of late taken a dismal turn following quite a while of impasse. In mid-November 2020, the Polisario Front, a development looking for freedom for the region, proclaimed a finish to a 1991 UN-expedited truce understanding and a re-visitation of outfitted battle against Moroccan powers that had entered the Guerguerat waterfront line point with Mauritania—an UN-watched cradle zone—in negation of the 1991 arrangement. Rabat looked to scatter unarmed Sahrawi dissidents obstructing the intersection point connecting Morocco to Sub-Saharan Africa. In response, the Polisario Front announced that the conflict was at this point not about fights however about a total Moroccan withdrawal from Western Sahara.

A Short History of the Western Sahara Conflict

Previously a Spanish settlement, the region of Western Sahara was attacked and involved by Moroccan and Mauritanian soldiers in 1975 after what has come to be known as the Madrid Accords, when Spain singularly pulled out from its province. Through this demonstration, the two nations disregarded the 1975 International Court of Justice (ICJ) assertion that neither Morocco nor Mauritania have regional sway over the Western Sahara. The United Nations didn't perceive the Madrid Accords, and a 2002 assessment of the UN Office of Legal Affairs clarified that colonizing powers can't just surrender the keys of one country to another. In 1976, the Polisario Front, perceived by the United Nations as the lone real agent of the Sahrawi public, declared (from banish in Algeria) the foundation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) as an autonomous state.

In 1976, the Polisario Front declared (from banish in Algeria) the foundation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) as a free state.

In 1979, Mauritania marked a truce with the Polisario Front, pulled out from involved Western Sahara, and perceived the SADR. Morocco then, at that point added the Mauritanian part of the region that had been surrendered by Spain. To forestall further assaults, Morocco's military in the long run assembled a vigorously mined and watched 2,700-kilometer embankment, one of the biggest military foundation projects on the planet. When of the truce in 1991, Morocco had stated its command over more than 66% of Western Sahara in its western part along the Atlantic Ocean. The United Nations guaranteed a submission on the situation with the domain, including the choices of freedom, self-sufficiency, or mix with Morocco. The choice was to be coordinated and led by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), yet it presently can't seem to happen. The arranged choice has been more than once postponed because of a debate among Morocco and the Polisario Front over who is qualified to decide on the situation with the region.

Polisario Front Returns to Active Resistance

Disappointed with many years of political impasse and gridlock, the Polisario Front chose to get back to dynamic obstruction after the Guerguerat episode in 2020. Since the Polisario Front knows about the dissimilarity of military force, one can reason that its furnished acceleration is a strategic move as opposed to a substantial answer for end the occupation. Its point is to apply strain to push for a shift in political direction by achieving recharged global consideration regarding the neglected reason and finishing famous dissatisfaction.

Sahrawis have become profoundly disappointed by the absence of development on their mission for public self-assurance and Morocco's obstructing the submission and abuse of the region's regular assets.

Sahrawis have become profoundly baffled by the absence of development on their journey for public self-assurance and Morocco's blocking the choice and double-dealing of the region's regular assets. Involved Western Sahara holds under its sand the absolute biggest phosphate saves. It gives admittance to rich fishing waters that run along its 690-mile shore and contains immense seaward oil and gas assets. What's more, Western Sahara is an objective of western sustainable power organizations like Siemens and Enel. Ali Salem Tamek, the VP of Codesa, a Sahrawi common liberties aggregate, said that "Worldwide organizations are separating our country's regular assets without speaking with or helping the Sahrawi public." Indeed, efficient double-dealing of these assets is seen by the Sahrawis as the hidden purpose for the Moroccan occupation.

Enter the Trump Administration

The situation turned out to be more confounded after previous US President Donald Trump's one-sided acknowledgment of Morocco's case of power over Western Sahara in December 2020, in a compensation for Morocco's standardization with Israel (and in repudiation of global law). Trump's announcement was instantly dismissed by the United Nations, the European Union, and the African Union (AU), setting the United States in opposition to the majority of the world on this issue. The Polisario's outfitted acceleration, combined with Trump's choice, have returned the Sahrawi issue to worldwide consideration.

Trump's acknowledgment of Morocco's case—which President Joe Biden still can't seem to switch—disregards global law and all UN goals that attest Western Sahara's all in all correct to self-assurance. A particularly one-sided acknowledgment has no effect if the EU and Morocco's nearby neighbors, Spain and Algeria, reject it, which they did. Algeria endeavored to campaign the Biden Administration to turn around Trump's acknowledgment, and Spain and Germany facilitated with European nations to keep the EU from following the US move. Germany's inflexible stance on the issue caused a strategic disagreement with Morocco and brought about Rabat's suspension of discretionary binds with Berlin.

Trump's acknowledgment of Morocco's case—which President Joe Biden still can't seem to switch—abuses global law and all UN goals that certify Western Sahara's on the whole correct to self-assurance.

The United Nations keeps on posting Western Sahara as a non-self-administering an area anticipating decolonization—a global legitimate status revered in the UN General Assembly's 1960 Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. It additionally helps that self-assurance to remember people groups is secured in the United Nations Charter and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as a right of "all people groups."

Morocco and Western Sahara

Morocco considers Western Shahara a basic piece of its domain and sway because of recorded ties. The ICJ perceived those ties yet settled that this doesn't add up to responsibility for domain. In any case, Morocco keeps on demanding that it has the full right to guard its regional respectability and its sway over the Western Sahara. On this premise, Morocco has excused Sahrawi calls for freedom and has demanded uniquely on offering Sahrawis self-rule, an arrangement that traces all the way back to 2007 and has the help of the United States and France. Questioning the level of the guaranteed self-sufficiency, considering Morocco's long history of profoundly incorporated government, the Polisario Front immediately dismissed the arrangement and demanded full freedom for the Sahrawis.

In this specific situation, the hotly anticipated US acknowledgment of Morocco's power over the region invigorated Moroccans. It additionally encouraged the government to adopt a more strong strategy with the European Union to follow after accordingly with the United States. In January, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said that the EU should leave its "usual range of familiarity" and "back Rabat's proposal of Western Saharan self-rule inside the Moroccan state." As if to apply some tension on the EU, Morocco as of late permitted approximately 12,000 individuals to cross its line with Spain's Ceuta area, considered Europe's southern limit. Those included 2,000 unaccompanied youngsters, inciting the EU and Amnesty International to blame Morocco for putting transient kids' lives in danger to pressure Spain, Morocco's greatest exchanging accomplice, and the remainder of the EU nations with the goal for them to perceive its power over Western Sahara. In April, Spain had conceded Brahim Ghali, head of the Polisario Front, to a Spanish clinic on philanthropic grounds to be treated for COVID-19, a demonstration Morocco was not timid about blaming for its hazardous play in Ceuta.

The African Union and Western Sahara

The African Union, of which SADR is an establishing part, backs the right of Sahrawis to self-assurance. After Trump's turn, the AU underlined the right to self-assurance for the Sahrawi People and the decolonization of the region while asking Morocco to regard provincial lines, as they existed at the hour of freedom, as cherished in article 4 (b) of the AU Constitutive Act. At its 547th gathering in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in March, the AU's Peace and Security Council (PSC) asked the UN Security Council to completely accept its obligations and "take all vital means to quickly resolve the Western Sahara struggle." In different gatherings, the PSC additionally chose to effectively reconnect in the quest for a political arrangement of the long-standing clash by resuming their office in Laayoune, in Western Sahara, and organizing a field visit to the region to assemble firsthand data on the creating circumstance.

Notwithstanding the AU's uncompromising stance on the decolonization of Western Sahara and its obligation to the privileges of Sahrawis to self-assurance, Morocco has had the option to accomplish a few increases with a few African nations.

In any case, notwithstanding the AU's uncompromising stance on the decolonization of Western Sahara and its obligation to the privileges of Sahrawis to self-assurance, Morocco has had the option to accomplish a few additions with a few African nations in persuading them to open offices in the involved Western Saharan urban areas of Dakhla and Laayoune. This is a certain affirmation by these nations of Morocco's cases to the region. The PSC of the AU approached the UN Secretary General to demand the UN legitimate insight to give a lawful assessment on the kickoff of offices in the non-self-administering an area of Western Sahara. Those accomplishments came because of Morocco's rejoining the AU in 2017 following a 33-year nonappearance in dissent of the African Union's acknowledgment of SADR as a part state. Morocco understood that its confinement in the African mainland didn't help in accomplishing its objective in legitimizing its case over Western Sahara. Morocco has been extending its political and monetary impression on the mainland to accomplish more help.

Algeria's Support of the Polisario Front

Algeria, the Polisario's principle patron and unfaltering ally, has sabotaged Morocco's drive to totally bring Western Sahara under its sway. Algeria gave some restricted help to the Polisario when it was established in 1973 to battle for autonomy contrary to Spain's pilgrim rule. It was not until Morocco's extension of Western Sahara in 1975 that Algeria tossed its full weight behind the Polisario. The Moroccan-Algerian contention originates before the issue of Western Sahara; indeed, the two nations were associated with 1963 in a line war, named as the Sand War, over the spaces of Tindouf and Bechar, encouraging an international competition and doubt between the two Maghrebi powers. Cold conflict international relations further exacerbated these pressures and divisions since Algeria adjusted itself to the Soviet coalition and hostile to pioneer camp and the traditionalist Moroccan government aligned with the West.

Right up 'til the present time, Algeria advances itself as a hero of the right of the Sahrawi individuals to self-assurance. In his new interview with Al Jazeera, the leader of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, unequivocally reasserted that Algeria’s "firm" position on the Western Sahara issue has not changed and that Algeria won’t acknowledge the done deal that Morocco is attempting to force in the last African settlement. He likewise helped Morocco to remember Algeria’s tactical prevalence. It is vital that Algeria and Morocco are seeking mastery over the Maghreb locale and the Western Sahara issue is critical to accomplishing that evenhanded.

The Western Sahara Is the World’s Responsibility

The breakdown of the 30-year UN-expedited truce in Western Sahara and the acceleration that followed came because of the United Nations' inability to execute the choice, subsequently introducing a three-decade political stagnation of the circumstance on the ground. This implies that the association just as the EU ought to effectively pursue settling the long-standing struggle. Strategic inaction has been compounded by the shortfall of an UN individual emissary; it has been more than a long time since the latest deputy, Horst Köhler, surrendered in May 2019. It is critical to name another agent to guarantee a solid and commonly adequate political arrangement that will permit the self-assurance of individuals of the Western Sahara. Absolution International (AI) is asking the UN Security Council to reinforce MINURSO, the UN peacemaking mission, to do the choice in Western Sahara. Computer based intelligence mentioned from the UN to add a basic freedoms part to its next order because of the absence of autonomous associations and writers to screen denials of basic liberties in the domain, since they are denied admittance by Moroccan specialists.

Reprieve International is likewise mentioning something very similar for the Tindouf outcast camps in Algeria for additional common freedoms observing. While the Moroccan specialists have denied admittance to free common liberties gatherings, the Polisario Front has permitted them to screen the camps and seems to have represented no snags to visits by Human Rights Watch (HRW), as expressed in the 2014 HRW report of a fourteen day research mission to the camps in late 2013. Furthermore, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has an office in Tindouf camps to shield the privileges of Sahrawi outcasts.

In March 2021, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International uncovered the weighty police observation outside the place of the Sahrawi basic liberties and favorable to freedom extremist, Sultana Khaya, since November 19, 2020. Khaya and a few individuals from her family have been held under house capture. With recordings as documentation, the two basic liberties associations presented the maltreatment to which she and her family were oppressed by Moroccan security powers. By a similar token, powers of the SADR under the Polisario's order have additionally captured activists and pundits and blamed them for conspiracy. Undoubtedly, the Western Sahara issue isn't just a public freedom battle yet in addition a rights worry for the global local area.

Notwithstanding its new political increases, Morocco has so far neglected to definitively propel the Western Sahara dossier in support of its. The Western Sahara stays the last state in Africa that requires decolonization. Settling the contention ought to be under the sponsorship of the United Nations. It would shield the North African area from additional strife and destabilization and assist with ensuring Europe's southern boundary. To be sure, any infringement of worldwide law in the Western Sahara would prompt extreme results internationally.

[africanunionpress]

037- Are They Daft?

5th of September, 2022

The UN has flat out, unequivocally rejected the proposal made by the AU-PSC. The UN decision comes as a result of a perceived lack of alignment between the proposed measures and MINURSO's mandate.

In a leaked private conversation, the MINURSO spokesperson said, "I don't understand the proposal made under the AU-PSC when they ask us to investigate an oil rig explosion, when we clearly don't have the mandate to do so."

The proposal, while aiming to achieve better security and human rights within the Western Sahara Region, fails to address a single important question: "What is MINURSO's mandate?"

[aktionfsa-blog-blog]

EU wegen Neo-Kolonialismus abgestraft

Polisarion bekommt wiederholt Recht vor EuG und EuGH

📷Nun steht die EU ganz schön nackt da - das Gericht der Europäischen Union (EuG) in Luxemburg hat sich in der Rechtssache T-279/19 "Front Polisario gegen den Rat der EU" klar hinter die Befreiungsfront der Westsahara gestellt.

Die Frente Polisarion hat die EU verklagt, weil diese mit Marokko ein Assoziierungsabkommen abgeschlossen hatte. Dieses Abkommen umfasst neben dem Handel und dem Umgang an der Grenze zu Spanien auch Fischereirechte der EU einschließlich der Küste vor der West-Sahara. Ein Mitspracherecht der Bewohner dieser von Marokko seit Jahrzehnten besetzten Gebiete gab es nicht. Marokko verhindert seit 1991 ein geplantes Referendum der Bewohner der West-Sahara, welches die UN-Mission Minurso überwachen sollte.

Da das Gericht das ganze Abkommen für nichtig erklärt hat, ist damit auch der Warenaustausch zwischen Marokko und der EU nach einer Übergangsfrist von 2 Monaten generell ohne Regelung. Das hätte die EU einkalkulieren müssen, denn "der Europäische Gerichtshof (EuGH) hatte bereits in den Jahren 2016 und 2018 entschieden, dass ein Agrarabkommen der EU mit Marokko und ein Fischereiabkommen die Westsahara nicht einbeziehen dürften."

Sevim Dagdelen, Obfrau der Linksfraktion im Auswärtigen Ausschuss des Bundestags meint dazu (Quelle Telepolis)

Statt das Königreich in Rabat mit Wirtschaftsabkommen und einer Privilegierten Partnerschaft zum Schaden der Sahrauis zu hofieren, muss sich die Bundesregierung auf EU-Ebene endlich aktiv dafür einsetzen, dass das UN-Referendum über die Zukunft der Westsahara nicht weiter durch Marokko blockiert und durch die völkerrechtswidrige Ansiedlung eines Teils der eigenen Bevölkerung in den besetzten Gebiete untergraben wird.

Ähnlich sieht das auch die Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker (GfbV), die die EU für "mitschuldig an der fortdauernden Verletzung des Völkerrechts" in Westafrika benennt.

Mehr dazu bei https://www.heise.de/tp/features/Marokko-und-EU-wegen-Kolonialismus-in-der-Westsahara-abgestraft-6206014.html Link zu dieser Seite: https://www.aktion-freiheitstattangst.org/de/articles/7787-20211002-eu-wegen-neo-kolonialismus-abgestraft.htm

[corallorosso]

Sahara Occidentale, torna la guerra a 45 anni dalla pace senza giustizia di Gabriele Gelmini Alla vigilia del 45esimo anniversario dell’Accordo tripartito di Madrid e a 29 dall’ultimo ‘cessate il fuoco’, la guerra sta ricominciando, a quanto pare proprio in questo momento: il Marocco e il Fronte Polisario, il movimento di ispirazione socialista che lotta per l’indipendenza saharawi, sono di nuovo ai ferri corti per la gestione del territorio del Sahara Occidentale, ex colonia spagnola dallo status internazionale ancora incerto. Sperando di non dover assistere a un peggioramento dello scenario nelle prossime ore, questo scontro è solo l’ultima pagina di un conflitto che prosegue dall’epoca della decolonizzazione, nel lontano 14 novembre 1975. (...) Il 14 novembre del 1975, la Spagna di Franco – che morirà sei giorni dopo – decide di abbandonare al suo destino la sua colonia africana, il Sahara Occidentale, quella porzione di terra a sud-ovest del Marocco che nelle cartine geografiche viene sempre delimitata da confini tratteggiati. Dietro le pressioni Onu per la decolonizzazione e le rivendicazioni dei Paesi limitrofi, la Spagna firma gli Accordi tripartito di Madrid con il Marocco e la Mauritania, che prevedevano un referendum per l’autodeterminazione. I due Paesi vicini, invece, invadono il Sahara occidentale, se lo spartiscono (al Marocco andrà una gran parte affacciata sul mare, alla Mauritania una piccola porzione interna) e isolano con sei muri progressivi i territori conquistati, respingendo la popolazione autoctona che si rifugerà nel campo profughi di Tindouf, in Algeria. Lo scenario nel corso degli anni rischia di precipitare: i saharawi fuggiti costituiscono il Polisario, il movimento di ribellione che aspira al rientro in patria; ottengono il ritiro della Mauritania dai territori occupati e proclamano l‘indipendenza, ma il conflitto armato contro il Marocco si rivelerà privo di risoluzione. L’Onu insiste per il ‘cessate il fuoco’, inserisce il Paese nella lista dei ‘territori non autonomi’ e costituisce la missione ‘Minurso’ nel 1991, per vigilare sullo svolgimento del famoso referendum. Ma ormai il campo di Tindouf è diventato molto popoloso, non si può più stabilire chi avrebbe diritto di voto e il Marocco, supportato dalla Francia che al tavolo delle trattative ha diritto di veto, si rifiuta di aprire qualsiasi spiraglio. Dunque il 31 ottobre 2020 la missione di pace viene prorogata per un altro anno, come negli ultimi 29 anni. Per la 50esima volta e dopo una spesa complessiva di un miliardo e mezzo di dollari. Il muro di separazione ha raggiunto i 2720 chilometri ed è il più lungo al mondo, dopo la muraglia cinese; i campi attorno alla barriera contengono circa 6000 mine antiuomo e la situazione, per ora, rimane in stallo: la necessità della pace – o perlomeno quella di non fare la guerra – vince ancora, a discapito della giustizia. Almeno fino a oggi.

[rympresse]

DIPLOMATIE │ Bolton, Ross, Inhofe: les grands déçus américains de l’accord trilatéral Maroc-USAIsraël

L’annonce de la reconnaissance de la souveraineté du Maroc sur le Sahara a suscité des réactions dépitées de la part des soutiens historiques du Polisario. L’ex-conseiller à la sécurité nationale John Bolton, l’ancien envoyé spécial du secrétaire général onusien, Christopher Ross et le sénateur James Inhofe, ont tous les trois exprimé leur désapprobation vis-à-vis de la décision du président Trump

Au sujet de la reconnaissance du Sahara, le néoconservateur John Bolton a récemment déclaré : « Trump a tort de renoncer à 30 ans de politique américaine sur le Sahara occidental ». Celui qui était le bras droit de James Baker dans le dossier du Sahara occidental s’est dit « frustré » de la lenteur de la résolution du conflit dans la région. Il a également ajouté : « Aucune autre démocratie occidentale n’a soutenu la souveraineté marocaine sur la région du Sahara occidental, et le revirement de Trump met fin à plus de 40 ans de neutralité officielle ». Remettant en cause l’efficacité du soutien financier américain pour le maintien de la paix au Sahara, il a évoqué le retrait de la Minurso (Mission des Nations unies pour l'organisation d'un référendum au Sahara). Il avait finalement réussi à faire passer d’un an à 6 mois la durée de la mission onusienne.

De son côté, le sénateur républicain d'Oklahoma, James Inhofe, également président de la Commission défense du Sénat américain, a affirmé jeudi que le président Trump a été « mal conseillé par son équipe », soutenant que l'accord de normalisation israélo-marocain, pouvait être conclu sans hypothéquer les droits d'« un peuple sans voix ». « L’annonce de la Maison Blanche d'aujourd'hui alléguant la souveraineté du Maroc sur le Sahara occidental est choquante et profondément décevante. Je suis attristé que les droits du peuple du Sahara occidental aient été troqués », a déploré Enhofe dans un communiqué. Lors d’une tournée en Afrique au début de cette année, le fervent lobbyiste avait défendu les positions du Polisario, invitant la diplomatie américaine à soutenir un référendum d’autodétermination en « mettant de côté cet état d’esprit dépassé ». Plus récemment, il avait pris position au Sénat contre ce qu’il avait qualifié de « violations du droit » de la part de l’armée marocaine à Guerguerat.

Dans une déclaration faite à Radio Algérie, Christopher Ross, anciennement envoyé spécial du secrétaire général de l’ONU au Sahara occidental a avancé : « La souveraineté du Sahara occidental n'appartient ni au président américain Donald Trump ni au Maroc ». Il a ainsi qualifié cette reconnaissance de « décision dangereuse qui affecterait négativement la stabilité de la région et les intérêts des États-Unis en Afrique du Nord ». Il a par ailleurs considéré que la décision de Trump « ne changera rien à l'approche internationale du dossier du Sahara occidental et n'éliminera pas le besoin urgent de mettre en œuvre les résolutions du Conseil de sécurité ». Cette reconnaissance d’après lui fait « plutôt obstacle à une solution et menace la sécurité et la paix dans la région, qui connaît actuellement une atmosphère de tension croissante ». Pour l’Américain, « la décision aura un impact négatif sur les relations bilatérales américano-algériennes ». Ross a également précisé que «la nouvelle administration américaine dirigée par Joe Biden est tenue d'annuler la décision de Trump si elle veut préserver ses intérêts en Afrique du Nord », car les intérêts des États-Unis dans cette zone « nécessitent une approche prudente et équilibrée ».  

La décision de Trump s’est heurtée à une contestation bilatérale ainsi qu’internationale. Ses critiques craignent que ces accords ne s'accompagnent « d'une contrepartie de ventes massive d'armes et d'un mépris des droits de l'homme ». Ils reprochent également au président de « rejeter des décennies de médiation multilatérale et de légitimer les accaparements de terres par la force en violation du droit international ». À ce sujet, Eliot Engel Président de la Commission des Affaires étrangères, s’est dit « préoccupé par cette annonce qui bouleverse un processus de l'ONU crédible et soutenu par la communauté internationale pour résoudre le différend territorial sur le Sahara occidental ».  Il a ajouté « écarter les voies multilatérales légitimes de résolution des conflits ne fait que donner aux pays comme la Russie et la Chine le pouvoir de continuer à piétiner les règles et normes internationales et récompenser ceux qui violent les frontières et les droits des peuples libres ».

Pour sa part, l'équipe de transition Biden a refusé tout commentaire sur les développements les plus récents dans la région. Dans ce sens, Christopher Ross a précisé que « la nouvelle administration américaine dirigée par Joe Biden est tenue d'annuler la décision de Trump si elle veut préserver ses intérêts en Afrique du Nord », car les intérêts des États-Unis dans cette zone « nécessitent une approche prudente et équilibrée ».