Latest news with #Sahrawis
France 24
11 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
UK latest country to back Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara
British foreign minister David Lammy said on Sunday that Morocco 's autonomy plan for the territory of Western Sahara was the "most credible" solution to the decades-long dispute, reversing London's long-standing position. Western Sahara, a mineral-rich former Spanish colony, is largely controlled by Morocco but has been claimed in its entirety for decades by the pro-independence Polisario Front, which is backed by Algeria. Morocco has been campaigning for broad support for its autonomy plan after obtaining US recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over the disputed territory in 2020, in exchange for the normalisation of diplomatic relations with Israel. "The United Kingdom considers Morocco's autonomy proposal submitted in 2007 as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the dispute," Lammy told reporters in Rabat. Britain previously backed self-determination for the disputed territory, which Morocco claims as an integral part of its kingdom. Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita welcomed the shift, saying the new British position contributed "greatly to advancing this momentum and promoting the UN path towards a definitive and mutually acceptable solution based on the autonomy initiative." Growing European support Rabat's push for support for its autonomy plan has seen success. Spain and Germany now officially back the Moroccan autonomy plan, while France last summer recognised Morocco's sovereignty over the territory. Algeria, which backs the Polisario Front and cut diplomatic relations with Rabat in 2021, said it "regrets" Britain's decision on Sunday to support Morocco's autonomy plan. "In 18 years of existence, this plan has never been submitted to the Sahrawis as a basis for negotiation, nor has it ever been taken seriously by the successive UN envoys," the Algerian foreign ministry said in a statement. The United Nations considers Western Sahara a "non-self-governing territory" and has had a peacekeeping mission there since 1991, whose stated aim is to organise a referendum on the territory's future. But Rabat has repeatedly ruled out any vote where independence is an option, instead proposing an autonomy plan. "This year is a vital window of opportunity to secure a resolution before we reach 50 years of the dispute in November," Lammy said. The foreign minister also said it encouraged "relevant parties to engage urgently and positively with the United Nations-led political process". The ceasefire collapsed in mid-November 2020 after Moroccan troops were deployed to the far south of the territory to remove separatists blocking the only route to Mauritania - a route they claimed was illegal, as it did not exist in 1991. The UN Security Council is calling for negotiations without preconditions, while Morocco insists they focus solely on its autonomy plan. "The only viable and durable solution will be one that is mutually acceptable to the relevant parties and is arrived at through compromise," added Lammy. In a joint statement, the United Kingdom noted that its export credit agency, UK Export Finance, may consider supporting projects in the Sahara as part of its commitment to mobilise 5 billion British pounds (approximately 5.9 billion euros) for new economic initiatives in Morocco.
Arab News
12 hours ago
- General
- Arab News
Algeria ‘regrets' Britain backing Morocco autonomy plan for W.Sahara
ALGIERS: Algeria's foreign ministry said it 'regrets' Britain's decision on Sunday to support Morocco's automony plan for the disputed territory of Western Sahara, overturning a decades-long policy in favor of self-determination. 'Algeria regrets the choice made by the United Kingdom to support to the Moroccan autonomy plan. In 18 years of existence, this plan has never been submitted to the Sahrawis as a basis for negotiation, nor has it ever been taken seriously by the successive UN envoys,' the ministry said in a statement.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
British FM says Morocco's autonomy plan for W. Sahara 'most credible' solution
British foreign minister David Lammy said on Sunday that Morocco's autonomy plan for the territory of Western Sahara was the "most credible" solution to the decades-long dispute, reversing London's long-standing position. Western Sahara, a mineral-rich former Spanish colony, is largely controlled by Morocco but has been claimed in its entirety for decades by the pro-independence Polisario Front, which is backed by Algeria. Morocco has been campaigning for broad support for its autonomy plan after obtaining US recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over the disputed territory in 2020, in exchange for the normalisation of diplomatic relations with Israel. "The United Kingdom considers Morocco's autonomy proposal submitted in 2007 as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the dispute," Lammy told reporters in Rabat. Britain previously backed self-determination for the disputed territory, which Morocco claims as an integral part of its kingdom. Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita welcomed the shift, saying the new British position contributed "greatly to advancing this momentum and promoting the UN path towards a definitive and mutually acceptable solution based on the autonomy initiative." - Growing European support - Rabat's push for support for its autonomy plan has seen success. Spain and Germany now officially back the Moroccan autonomy plan, while France last summer recognised Morocco's sovereignty over the territory. Algeria, which backs the Polisario Front and cut diplomatic relations with Rabat in 2021, said it "regrets" Britain's decision on Sunday to support Morocco's autonomy plan. "In 18 years of existence, this plan has never been submitted to the Sahrawis as a basis for negotiation, nor has it ever been taken seriously by the successive UN envoys," the Algerian foreign ministry said in a statement. The United Nations considers Western Sahara a "non-self-governing territory" and has had a peacekeeping mission there since 1991, whose stated aim is to organise a referendum on the territory's future. But Rabat has repeatedly ruled out any vote where independence is an option, instead proposing an autonomy plan. "This year is a vital window of opportunity to secure a resolution before we reach 50 years of the dispute in November," Lammy said. The foreign minister also said it encouraged "relevant parties to engage urgently and positively with the United Nations-led political process". The ceasefire collapsed in mid-November 2020 after Moroccan troops were deployed to the far south of the territory to remove separatists blocking the only route to Mauritania — a route they claimed was illegal, as it did not exist in 1991. The UN Security Council is calling for negotiations without preconditions, while Morocco insists they focus solely on its autonomy plan. "The only viable and durable solution will be one that is mutually acceptable to the relevant parties and is arrived at through compromise," added Lammy. In a joint statement, the United Kingdom noted that its export credit agency, UK Export Finance, may consider supporting projects in the Sahara as part of its commitment to mobilise 5 billion British pounds (approximately 5.9 billion euros) for new economic initiatives in Morocco. isb-anr/fka/ysm/
Ya Biladi
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Sahara : UNHCR to close Laayoune office
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is preparing to close its office in Laayoune, a well-informed source told Yabiladi. «Contracts expiring in September will not be renewed. This decision affects the staff involved in the confidence-building program launched by the UN nearly twenty years ago», the same source explained. This program had allowed thousands of Sahrawis, whether living in the Sahara or in the Tindouf camps, to visit their families. In 2013, the Polisario announced its unilateral withdrawal from the program, citing «technical reasons» at the time. The UN made two attempts, in 2016 and 2019, to resume family visits between the two sides, but both efforts failed. The closure of the UNHCR office in Laayoune comes two weeks after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a «rethink» of peacekeeping operations to better align them with budgetary constraints. UN staff in the Sahara have not been spared from these measures. MINURSO has already reduced its peacekeeping patrols, as confirmed by Alexander Ivanko, head of the mission, in an address to the Security Council on April 14. «Our observation and monitoring activities west of the Berm continued as planned until mid-March, when I had to slow them down due to financial issues», he admitted in his speech.
Ya Biladi
3 days ago
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
United States : John Bolton continues his pro-Polisario and pro-Algeria lobbying
مدة القراءة: 2' John Bolton is back on the international stage, this time advocating for the Polisario Front. As calls mount to classify the Polisario as a terrorist organization in the United States, the former National Security Advisor under the Trump administration argues in an op-ed that «U.S. should support a referendum allowing Sahrawis to determine their own future». In a surprising twist, Bolton justifies his call for the U.S. to back the Polisario by warning about «Chinese and Russian influence mounting across Africa, suggesting that continued American support for Morocco could open the door to their increased presence in the region. Bolton leans heavily on historical arguments, referencing Security Council Resolution 690, which established MINURSO in 1991 with U.S. support. His position closely mirrors those of Algeria and the Polisario, who have long demanded a self-determination referendum for Western Sahara and the implementation of the African settlement plan. However, Bolton omits a crucial historical fact: the UN abandoned the referendum option in the early 2000s. Under the leadership of former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the UN dissolved the commission responsible for identifying eligible participants for the proposed vote. It's a significant omission, particularly for Bolton, who served as U.S. Ambassador to the UN from 2005 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. «The Polisario is Not Under Iran's Influence» Bolton also pushes back against accusations that the Polisario is aligned with Iran. After criticizing what he describes as Morocco's «obstacles» to holding a referendum, Bolton defends the Polisario's reputation: «The Polisario's opponents are trying a new line of propaganda, alleging without evidence that the Polisario has come under Iran's influence. This misinformation may well be intended to divert U.S. attention from Morocco's decadeslong stonewalling against a referendum». Bolton adds: «Sahrawi opponents have gone as far as claiming that Polisario fighters were among foreign militias Iran trained in Syria under the now-fallen Assad regime». He cites reports by The Washington Post and other publications, which state that both the Syrian government and the Polisario have categorically denied these allegations. «But Morocco's friends in the West continue to spread them», Bolton claims. «Perhaps influenced by this anti-Sahrawi propaganda, legislation has been introduced in the House to designate Polisario as a terrorist group», referring to legislation introduced by Republican Congressman Joe Wilson. Context and Contradictions Bolton further argues that the Sahrawis «never succumbed to the radicalism that swept the Middle East after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Claims that Sahrawis are susceptible to Tehran-based Shiite propaganda are belied by the long-standing presence in the camps of U.S. religious, nongovernmental organizations providing educational and medical services». However, it's worth noting that in October 2019, the U.S. government offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the identification or capture of Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahraoui, a former Polisario member who became a leading terrorist figure in the Sahel under the banner of ISIS. More recently, Robert Greenway, director of the Allison Center for National Security at the Heritage Foundation—a prominent Republican think tank—reminded President Trump that the Polisario killed five American citizens in 1988. For the record, John Bolton has been a vocal critic of Trump's decision on December 10, 2020, to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.
