THE SAHARA CONFLICT :NEW PRIORITY ORDER

The Sahara conflict; new priority order! "MarocPost"


The world political landscape changed tremendously; as a result, the international community became overwhelmed with conflicts in places like: Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa; problems of Terrorism, Racism, Famine, Illiteracy, Diseases, and Nuclear Proliferation! Where do we start?


In just few months, the international community will welcome its new secretary general Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, who has been recently nominated by the UN Security Council as the successor to Secretary General Kofi Annan! In the midst of the whole array of problems, ranging from political crises, military conflicts, poverty, diseases, famine, economic discrepancies, and finally the race for nuclear armament! What will be Mr. Ki-Moon’s first priority? What kind of workable solutions will he be able to offer? Will he have the magic stick?

I honestly would hope the new Secretary will provide the leadership necessary to make a difference! Leadership that would help influencing the traditional function of this organization in a manner that would at least streamline the world concerns, and reconsider conflicts based on their merit, and legitimacy!

I am not being critical of the previous UN leaders, especially their good faith attempts in helping communities around the world in the fields of humanitarian aids, social and educational programs, but I am referring to this organization’s political contribution to solving political conflicts, which continue to hinder peace and stability in many regions of the glob! Indeed some of these conflicts are legitimate, and merit serious attention; some others simply do not commensurate with this level! Some of these conflicts in my opinion are insignificant perhaps “unjustified”; yet, due to intense manipulation and diplomatic maneuvering practiced by some member states, they continue to be a burden! This is not to mention their astronomical cost necessary to maintain peace keeping missions, which could be used for social and economic development programs instead!

Within this perspective, I classify the so-called “Western Sahara” conflict, and would like to highlight the reasons why!

For being subject to continuous “high-tech” manipulation, it seems like the Sahara conflict will never see the light! This conflict has lasted for three decades, simply because of Algeria’s pattern of rejection, manipulation, and negative attitude. This is at a time where Morocco, exhausted all possible solutions to peacefully solving this artificial conflict! Because of this long over due Algeria’s negative involvement, one can only hope for a better understanding and recourse to logic and raison!

Just few days ago, before the United Nations 4th commission, Algeria defended the separation theory, and claimed that the “referendum” is the only way out of this conflict! While the truth is, it was this country who opposed the referendum suggested by Morocco decades ago! It was Algeria that actively blocked the process of identification and registration of the Sahrawi people who were supposed to vote for determining their future! Why Algeria accepts the referendum now, but rejected it then! What has changed! A referendum can only stand legal and viable, if all Sahrawi people are offered the right to vote for their future!

There is no need for repeating what has been already documented in this regard, but it suffices to say that Morocco was the first to suggest a referendum as a viable solution! It did so back in 1981 in Nairobi, at the OAU conference! That suggestion was honored by the adoption of the United Nations’ resolution 907, which was in turn endorsed by the establishment of the criteria for voting eligibility enunciated by Secretary General Mr. Javier Perez De Cuellar. The referendum was one of the three conditions for the settlement plan, or “Plan de réglement”! This plan was supposed to build on referendum in the so-called Sahara. However, Algeria, and its instrument “polisario”, did every thing in their power to block this very referendum it calls for now! Algeria, rejected the criteria for voting eligibility, and blocked the process of identification and registration of the Sahrawi voters! In doing so, it practically killed the settlement plan, and any alternative solution associated with referendum in the Sahara! Further more, such a referendum as conceived of by Algeria, has no basis, it does not equate with the constant return of the Sahrawi people, many of whom were high ranking officials within “polisario” movement. In fact some of these officials have once participated in the “identification and registration process” sponsored by the United Nations!

Presently, due to the recent development, and due to the reality in the field, Morocco does not recognize referendum as a viable solution! Mainly because; the real identity and the real total number of the so-called Sahrawi people in Tindouf south of Algeria, remain a mystery! The real Sahrawi people, who were kidnapped and forcefully deported to the camps in Tindouf back early seventies, are now incarcerated at gun point! Immediately after their recent “intifada”, many tribe leaders and union activists were executed, tortured, or put in jail by this very movement “polisario”, which claims it represents them, and fight for their rights!

According to Mr. Khalihenna Ould Errachid, the current president of the Royal Advisory Council for the Sahara Affairs, better known by its French acronym CORCAS, the total number of separatists, does not exceed a thousand persons (1000)! These are generally the supporters of Mohamed Abdelaziz their current president, his entourage, and his military leaders! From social stand point, different tribes in the Sahara “conflict area”, are related to many tribes in different regions in Morocco. It should also be mentioned, all early leaders of the so-called “(polisario) grew up, and developed in different universities of the country! Their current president Mohamed Abdel Aziz El Marrakchi, was not even born in the Sahara! How legitimate his claim would be, which calls for the independence of the Sahara, and the establishment of his republic with its flag “half Algerian”? How legitimate his claim would be, knowing that no Sahrawi, in the Sahara, from Smara, to l’Gouira, has neither recognized his self declared representative status, nor voted for his republic? In the overall, how legitimate his claim for referendum over a territory that was never his birth place?

This conflict truly goes beyond who represents who! Yes, it is important to uncover the real representation of the Sahrawi people, but the real task before the UN today, is how to determine the legitimacy of this conflict! Although, there is no need for reciting the colonial history of Morocco, because this history is well known, and well documented! However, it stands to reason to mention from a brief historic stand point that, until the Spanish invasion, the Sahara was historically, geographically, politically, socially, economically, and religiously, an integrated part of the kingdom of Morocco! There was never an independent country in the so-called “Western Sahara”!
The geographic boundaries of the kingdom at the time were contiguous with a number of countries in the sub Sahara region! If that invasion temporarily interrupted the Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara, its return in 1975, honored that sovereignty and recognized the rights of the entire people of Morocco to reclaim their territory again.