Western Sahara – 19 August 2016

No evidence of Morocco incursion in disputed Western Sahara: UN

The United Nations on Thursday (Aug 18) said it had found no sign of any suspicious military activity by Morocco in the disputed Western Sahara, after a separatist group complained about a Moroccan security operation in the region’s far south.

The Polisario Front campaigning for the independence of the Western Sahara had protested to the UN about the operation earlier this week, claiming it had involved large numbers of military units and had taken them beyond the sand wall that marks Morocco’s normal area of control.

Responding to the complaint, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the UN mission in the territory, MINURSO, had investigated the allegations and had “not observed military presence or equipment in the buffer strip”.

Channel News Asia

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Western Sahara a ‘shameful stain’ on United Nations, says Polisario spokesman

Another generation cannot “grow old as refugees”: The UN must “assume its full responsibility” for advancing resolution of the conflict between the Saharawi people and Morocco over Western Sahara.

Last month the people of Western Sahara marked an important milestone in the 40-year history of our country.

Although thousands of Saharawi citizens live as refugees in southwest Algeria – displaced from our homeland and separated from our families by Morocco’s colonial occupation – we have nonetheless developed an inclusive democracy and a well-functioning government in the refugee camps and liberated territory of our country.

Open Democracy