Algerian media criticises Morocco’s Western Sahara plans
Algerian media have accused France and the UAE of exerting “intense pressure” within the UN Security Council over the Western Sahara dispute, according to a report by Yabiladi and other agencies on October 25th.
This is despite official silence from the Algerian government over a Moroccan proposal that would recognise Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory.
The proposal, which is backed by 130 countries, would grant Western Sahara limited self-governance under Moroccan sovereignty. Belgium became the latest country to endorse the plan on October 23rd, which the government called the “most adequate, serious, credible and realistic basis to reach a political solution.”
France and the UAE are accused by Algerian-friendly media outlets of conducting a “systematic pressure campaign” that targeted 15 UN Security Council members through “methods that contradict diplomatic norms and UN standards.”
Other allegations included the UAE “using its wealth to buy political influence at the expense of an entire people,” along with both nations using “intensive bilateral meetings” with several council members “to secure votes in favour of a draft resolution that legitimises the status quo.”
France, the former colonising power over Algeria, reportedly endorsed Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara on April 16th.
The Algerian-backed Polisario Front, an organisation that advocates for the self-determination of the Sahrawi people and calls for full independence for the Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), has objected to the proposal.
The militia group has described Morocco as an “occupier” and accused the Kingdom of “dividing the Sahrawi people.”
However, Algeria’s continued support for the Polisario Front has made the nation increasingly isolated, as more countries have begun cutting ties with the group. Additionally, accusations that the organisation received funding from Iran have further reduced the Front’s legitimacy on the global stage.
Morocco reportedly urged the US to recognise the Polisario Front as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) on August 25th, as this designation would lead to economic and political sanctions for the group’s supporters.
The Western Sahara, the ancestral land of the Sahrawi people, has been a disputed territory since the end of Spanish colonial rule in 1975. Morocco currently controls much of the region and proposes autonomy within the Kingdom.
The conflict between Algeria and Morocco has forced many to flee the area, often to refugee camps, where humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate. On April 23rd, an Algerian news outlet accused Morocco of systemically displacing the Sahrawi people through the destruction of homes and confiscation of land.
Yabiladi and agencies, Maghrebi.org
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