WESTERN SAHARAN CONFLICT AND THE ROLE OF

ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY (OAU)

BY SYEDA BINISH QADRI*

INTRODUCTION

           Western Sahara is situated in northern Africa and bordering the Atlantic Ocean between Mauritania and Morocco. This territory stands out as, ostensibly, Africa's last colony. For more than three decades, the question of Western Sahara's independence has remained unanswered, and the conflict has become a forgotten and neglected international crisis. The chief economic asset of the area is rich phosphate deposits.

Historical background

               In1884 Spain occupied Western Sahara during the colonial era. Later to be known as the Western Sahara (named by the UN in 1975) according to the Berlin conference which divided up Africa between the colonial powers. Spanish colonization was limited to these two coastal areas.  In 1906 war between the Saharawi population and Spanish colonial power began. In 1934 the Saharawi resistance was defeated by France after twenty eight years of continuous war. In 1956 Morocco began claiming that territory. In 1960 the Saharawi population became progressively sedentary and started exploiting the rich phosphate deposits.

            In1973 POLISARIO, the Frente Popular para la Liberacion de Saguia el-Hamray de Rio de Oro - better known as the POLISARIO Front - was established to engage in the struggle for independence. The Saharawi liberation movement was formed to speed up the slow process of decolonization by waging a guerrilla war against the Spanish. The same year King Hassam II of Morocco started officially claiming the territory to the North and Mauritania continues claiming territory to the south.

            Thereafter, Mauritania and Morocco invaded that territory. In 1975 Morocco started a "Green March" of 350,000 people as a means of advancing their army into the Western Sahara. Moroccan forces entered the north west of the territory. In 1975 Mauritania abandoned its territorial claims in the south and recognized the rights of the Saharawi people by signing a peace agreement.

            In 1985 there had been a ceasefire between POLISARIO and Morocco. Currently, Western Sahara is under Morocco's occupation. Justification for the 1976 invasion by Morocco and Mauritania was based on the argument that, historically, the people of Western Sahara fell under the protection of the Moroccan King. Morocco referred the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for legal advice.

            On 15 October 1975, the opinion of the International Court was that any foreign occupation of Western Sahara would be inconsistent with international law, and therefore, the people of that territory were entitled to independence. In other words, the occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco or Mauritania would be contrary to historical facts and would run counter to international law.

The role of the OAU in resolving the conflict

            Since the early 1970s, the OAU has called for Western Saharan self-determination and has persistently supported the idea of a referendum. In 1983, the OAU Summit passed a resolution (AHG 104) that called for direct talks between Morocco and the Polisario Front. In addition, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution (40/50) and also called for direct talks between the two parties. The Secretary General and the Chairman of the OAU acting jointly under the auspices of the General Assembly had induced the representatives of Morocco and the Polisario to negotiate the details of a peace plan. The aim of the talks was to end hostilities and set the stage for a referendum. A series of diplomatic meetings, facilitated by both the OAU and the UN were held. The UN-OAU settlement agreement, which proposed a six month transition period, had the following key stipulations:

• A ceasefire and exchange of prisoners;

• A reduction of Moroccan troops from 100,000 to 65,000; disarmament and confinement of troops to designated areas;

• The return of about 120,000 Saharan refugees from Algeria and Mauritania;

• The identification and registration of voters, and the organization of a referendum following a campaign period of three weeks;

• The withdrawal of Moroccan soldiers or the demobilization of the Polisario Front, depending on the outcome of the vote.

            Following the signing of the agreement, the Security Council adopted a resolution to establish the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). In September 1991, MINURSO began its activities with about 200 UN military observers. The referendum was expected to take place in January 1992. However, the process was to suffer a number of setbacks that resulted in its postponement to 31 October 2000.

            For the OAU the issue for several years was so divisive as to threaten the organization’s continued viability. After the OAU seated a polisario delegation in 1982, more than one-third of the member governments threatened to boycott meetings or withdraw from membership. It was the hard time to OAU.

            Security Council extends mandate of Western Sahara mission (31/07/2003) The Security Council, stressing that a political solution was critically needed in the settlement of the dispute over Western Sahara, given the lack of progress, extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum there (MINURSO) until 31 October 2003 and called on the parties to work with the United Nations and with each other towards acceptance and implementation of the “Peace plan”.

            After 30 years of enduring conflict, the independence of Western Sahara remains first and foremost an issue of international law. Few options, except a referendum, can break the stalemate. But the successful example of decolonization in East Timor may not be emulated in Western Sahara. Morocco maintains its uncompromising position to preserve the rich resources of the territory and to ensure the internal stability of the kingdom. The US, having gone to war in Iraq ostensibly to enforce UN resolutions, looks on while its former Secretary of State facilitates Morocco's ongoing defiance of UN resolutions in Western Sahara.

CONCLUSION

*STUDENT, M.A.(PREVIOUS) DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, UNIVERSITY OF KARACHI

All content (C) Department of International Relations, Karachi University

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