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The UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara

Mission Mandate

W Sahara In Sahara In 1991, UN Security Council resolution 690 authorized the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to monitor the ceasefire between Morocco and the Frente Polisario, a rebel group composed of native Western Saharans (known as Sahrawis), and to help organize a referendum of self-determination. The Security Council extended MINURSO's mandate through April 30, 2013.

The Mission’s mandate includes:

Monitoring the ceasefire;
Verifying the reduction in Moroccan troops;
Working to release Western Saharan political prisoners and overseeing prisoner exchanges; and
Organizing and ensuring a free and fair referendum, including identifying and registering eligible voters.

Background

Western Sahara is a disputed territory south of Morocco. It was known as the Spanish Sahara until 1975, when both Morocco and Mauritania tried to annex portions of the territory. Read more || Hide text

Mauritania withdrew due to pressure from the rebel group Frente Polisario, but Morocco continued fighting to control the area.

A United Nations-brokered ceasefire ended the war in 1988. Morocco governed much of the territory as a province, and an exiled Frente Polisario, based in Algeria, claimed control over a portion of Western Sahara that they call the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic." Both sides agreed to allow MINURSO to monitor the peace until a referendum on self-determination could take place.

Progress toward a referendum, however, has been slow with disagreements over whether to extend the right to vote to recent Moroccan settlers in Western Sahara and exiled Sahrawis in Algeria.

The United States has worked with the UN to resolve the situation. The U.S. dispatched former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker III in 1997 as a UN Special Envoy. The Baker Plans of 2000 and 2003 sought compromise. The first proposal, offering autonomy to Western Sahara within Morocco, was rejected by the Frente Polisario. The second plan, which granted an interim period of self-rule, was rejected by Morocco. Frustrated by the lack of progress, Baker resigned in 2004. He was succeeded by Peter Van Walsum of the Netherlands. In January 2009, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Christopher Ross, former US Ambassador to Algeria and Syria, as his Special Envoy to the Western Sahara.

Informal talks between the two parties took place in late April 2012 at the behest of Ambassador Ross. He called for this new round of talks in the hope that leaders could break the deadlock between Morocco’s plan for Western Saharan autonomy and the Frente Polisario’s push for a referendum on self-determination, one that includes independence as an option. However, these informal negotiations failed to yield any progress toward reaching a compromise. Due to the ongoing tensions, Secretary General has asked for an extra 15 military observers to be added to the mission of 228 "to bolster its monitoring capacities."

How This Affects American Interests

Humanitarian assistance. The World Food Program (WFP) continues to provide 90,000 general food rations and 35,000 supplementary food rations to the most vulnerable refugees each month. The UN Refugee Agency and WFP conduct 45 general food basket distribution visits to different food distribution points in refugee camps each month, as determined by a joint needs assessment. UNHCR continues to supply the refugees with potable water, by constructing new water networks to reduce the cost of water delivery by truck.

Reduces likelihood of hostilities. For 18 years, more than 203 MINURSO observers have patrolled both the Moroccan and Polisario sides of Western Sahara. They have helped prevent the outbreak of renewed hostilities despite intermittent threats from the Frente Polisario to resume military action. In addition, MINURSO has connected refugees in Algeria with their families in Western Sahara by facilitating visits through a free telephone service. These efforts have helped temper relations between Algeria and Morocco. Since it started in March 2004, the program has helped over 10,700 people. In April 2012, UNHCR launched a program for separated Saharawi families in the Tindouf camps of Algeria to reunite with their familes. Via a Boeing 737, the UN transported 150 visiting relatives from Western Sahara to the camps in Algeria, and returned carrying 137 Sahrawi refugees from the Tindouf camps back to Western Sahara. In the next year using this new aircraft, 6,000 displaced peoples are expected to benefit from this program.
Supports stability in the region. Both Algeria and Morocco are U.S. allies in the effort to combat terror throughout North Africa. The U.S. and the UN recognize the importance of the Western Sahara region and play an active role in brokering a resolution.
Reduces the threat of mines. There are over 100,000 square kilometers of dangerous mines and unexploded ammunition in Western Sahara. MINURSO has made travel safer by implementing agreements to mark mines. Collaborating with the Royal Moroccan Army, which clears thousands of square kilometers of land monthly, as well as Landmine Action, a non-profit organization committed to clearing mines and unexploded ordnance, MINURSO is engaged in a multilateral effort to enhance security in Western Sahara.

Ongoing Challenges

Moroccan interference. Morocco is forcing UN cars to use Moroccan diplomatic license plates, a departure from protocol in other missions, where UN neutral plates are used. Additionally, the Secretary General reports that “the confidentiality of the communications between MINURSO headquarters”, located in the Moroccan controlled city of Laayoune, and “New York has, at least on one occasion, been compromised”. These two incidents underscore recent complaints made by the mission to the Security Council regarding Morocco’s efforts to undermine the mission neutrality and ability to report accurate and consistent information.

Lack of political compromise. Western Saharans continue to see the Moroccans as an occupying force, while Morocco remains opposed to the possibility of an independent Western Sahara at its border. Neither side has reached an agreement on referendum issues such as the list of voters or the return of refugees. In 2007, representatives from both sides and neighboring states met for the first time for two rounds of UN-backed talks. Nevertheless, despite meeting on several subsequent occasions in January 2008, August 2009, and January 2010, the two sides were unable to reach an agreement. During the three rounds of talks that took place between March 2011 and March 2012, the parties reaffirmed their commitment to the negotiating process and continued to discuss subjects of mutual interests, including control of natural resources and demining. However, both sides continue to express what UN Special Envoy Chris Ross describes as an “unyielding adherence to mutually exclusive positions”.
The Moroccan wall. In the 1980s, Morocco built “The Berm” -- a 2,000 km-long, two meter-high wall with a backing trench -- across the territory to protect itself from attacks by the Frente Polisario. The Berm is dotted with landmines and radar equipment to detect incursions, and both sides have troops stationed along the wall. Since April 2011, the Royal Moroccan Army has built four new stone walls and continued to expand the existing six walls.
Geopolitical dimensions. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, supported principally by Algeria, is recognized by 75 other states and is a member of the African Union, while Morocco is supported by the Arab League. While Morocco serves as a model for progressivism in the Arab World, its occupation of Western Sahara has created 165,000 refugees, and its claims to the territory lack strong support from the international community. Compounding the divisions between the two sides is the possible presence in Western Sahara of oil and other natural resources.

*Updated April 2012

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