Moroccan King “Attacks” Algeria, Insists on the Occupation of the Western Sahara

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Moroccan King Mohammed VI reiterated shouldering Algeria responsibility of the failure of the decolonization process in the Western Sahara, and accused the neighboring country of subjecting deprivation, repression and humiliation to Sahrawi refugees in the Tindouf camps, south west of Algeria.

Mohamed VI speech came to mark the 36th anniversary of the green march, a strategic mass demonstration in November 1975, coordinated by the Moroccan government, to force Spain to hand over the disputed Western Sahara to Morocco.

He called on Algeria to cooperate in forming “a new Maghreb order that transcends insularity and pointless disputes, and paves the way for dialogue, consultation, solidarity and the pursuit of development”.

The king noted that “such cooperation between the two countries will guarantee stability and security in the Sahel and Sahara region.”

“Morocco reiterates its readiness to combine efforts at the bilateral level - especially with the sister nation Algeria, in the framework of the current dynamic process - as well as at the regional level to fulfill the aspirations of current and future generations”, Moroccan King said.

King Mohammed VI also expressed his hopes that the new order that includes the five Maghreb countries will constitute a “driving force of Arab unity as well as a key player in the promotion of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, stability and security in the Sahel and Sahara region, as well as African integration”.

However, the Moroccan King reiterated his country’s commitment to “the full implementation of the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council so as to achieve a final, negotiated political solution to this artificial regional dispute, within the framework of the Kingdom’s Autonomy Initiative.”

He also said, “It is high time each party shouldered its responsibilities. Rather than perpetuating deadlock, divisions and separatism, some bold, inclusive, future-oriented decisions should be made”.

Speaking of the future of the Western Sahara, the king said, “Moroccan Sahara will provide a model framework for broad regionalization to be achieved through, for example, the democratic election of regional institutions, the devolution of extensive powers and resources from central government to the regions, and the establishment of mechanisms conducive to regional and nation-wide solidarity, social improvement and human development”.

The Moroccan King also condemned the repression and humiliation that the Western Sahara refugees are suffering in the Tindouf camps in South West Algeria. The camps are controlled by Algerian authorities and the Polisario Front.

“Our fellow citizens who live in an isolated, sealed-off area in the Tindouf camps, are still being subjected to the worst forms of deprivation, repression and humiliation, in outright denial of human dignity and their basic, legitimate rights”, the king said.

According to the Polisario Front, the number of refugees in Tindouf camps has reached about 160 thousand people. These refugees are considered by Rabat as Moroccan citizens.

Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal.

In 1976, the Polisario Front formally proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and set up a government in exile, initiating a guerrilla war between the Polisario and Morocco, which continued until a 1991 cease-fire.

Morocco is against the separation of the Western Sahara, but supports self-rule under Moroccan sovereignty.

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