The Moroccan magic formula for Western Sahara

The just resolution to this issue will bring stability and peace to the important and strategic region of North Africa. Such a resolution will also end the suffering of Saharawi people and enhance the credibility of the UN.

The resolution of the conflict will indeed benefit Morocco, which is spending millions of dollars to maintain its illegal occupation and to attract support for its untenable position. The Moroccan people continue to suffer from poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and the lack of democracy. This has made Morocco fertile ground for the recruitment of terrorists and suicide bombers. Moroccans participated in the 9-11 attacks, the Madrid train attacks and Casablanca terror attacks in 2003 and 2007.

Morocco is also known for exporting illegal migrants and drugs. Recent media reports have linked Moroccan army generals with drug trafficking from Colombia through Western Sahara.

However, no Saharawi has ever been involved in any terrorist attack. Saharawis are known for their tolerance, hospitality and generosity even to those who tried to kill them, such as the Moroccan prisoners of war who have now been all freed as a gesture of good will.

The Saharawi people’s objective is to build a modern and democratic state which guarantees the basic rights of human rights to all its citizens. The Saharawi independent nation seeks to have good relations with all its neighbours, including Morocco. The Saharawi state will be a real bulwark against violence and any form of extremism.

The current impasse is due to the fact that Morocco has been getting the wrong signal from the influential members of the Security Council. The Moroccan regime believes that by keeping an iron grip on Western Sahara, suppressing any dissent and rejecting all UN peace proposals, it would eventually be rewarded for its tenacity. Morocco wrongly believes that time is on its side and that the Saharawis will somehow disappear.

But the Moroccan “magic formula” is missing an important element which is the fact that the Saharawis have not withered away. Instead, in their liberated areas, in the refugee camps and in the occupied zones of Western Sahara, they are steadfast and are stronger than 30 years ago. The continuous independence demonstrations in the occupied areas are a clear example of the determination of the Saharawis to achieve their independence.

The friends of Morocco have a duty to encourage King Mohamed VI to co-operate with the UN so that a just and lasting resolution to the conflict in Western Sahara can be achieved through a referendum on self-determination. Because the end of the conflict in Western Sahara will greatly benefit Morocco in many ways and the Maghreb region will enjoy stability and progress. It is a win-win situation for all.

The Security Council must encourage Morocco to cooperate with the UN so that it can implement its Settlement Plan which was accepted by both parties to the conflict and strongly endorsed by the UN Security Council. Under no circumstances should the Council entertain Morocco’s proposal for “autonomy” because it is undemocratic and outside the UN’s decolonisation framework.

Any attempt to impose a fake solution on the Saharawis will only lead to more instability and is likely to trigger the resumption of hostilities.