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'''2020 Western Saharan clashes''', also called '''Moroccan military intervention in Guerguerat''', is an armed conflict between [[Morocco]] and [[Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic]] (SADR), supported by its [[Polisario Front]] forces in the disputed region of [[Western Sahara]]. It was the latest escalation of an [[Western Sahara conflict|unresolved conflict over the region]], which is claimed by Morocco, but 20–25% of it is governed by the SADR.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sáhara Occidental - cuadro zonas mapa político-militar |language=es |url=http://suevia2008.googlepages.com/CUADROZONASDIVISINDELSHARAOCCIDENTAL.pdf |access-date=14 November 2020 }}</ref> |
'''2020 Western Saharan clashes''', also called '''Moroccan military intervention in Guerguerat''', is an armed conflict between [[Morocco]] and [[Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic]] (SADR), supported by its [[Polisario Front]] forces in the disputed region of [[Western Sahara]]. It was the latest escalation of an [[Western Sahara conflict|unresolved conflict over the region]], which is claimed by Morocco, but 20–25% of it is governed by the SADR.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sáhara Occidental - cuadro zonas mapa político-militar |language=es |url=http://suevia2008.googlepages.com/CUADROZONASDIVISINDELSHARAOCCIDENTAL.pdf |access-date=14 November 2020 }}</ref> |
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Tensions between Morocco and the |
Tensions between Morocco and the Polisario Front deepened in mid-October when about 200 Moroccan truck drivers got stranded on the [[Mauritania|Mauritanian]] side of the border near [[Guerguerat]], which is [[United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara|patrolled by the UN]].<ref name="truckdrivers" /> The small village lies on a vital route connecting Morocco to [[sub-Saharan Africa]].<ref name="vitaltrade" /> According to the Sahrawi authorities, the Moroccan forces were deployed near the area in early November,<ref name="bufferzonedeployment" /> with Mauritanian forces reinforcing their positions along its border with Morocco, which is controlled by the Polisario Front.<ref name="mauritanianreinforcement" /> |
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The clashes began on 13 November, in Guerguerat, but since has spread along the [[Moroccan Western Sahara Wall]]. Morocco claimed that it had acted in self-defence, repelling Sahrawi incursion near [[Al Mahbes]], and targeting to retake control of its internationally recognised borders with Mauritania,<ref>{{Cite web |first=Souhail |last=Karam |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-13/morocco-moves-army-to-end-western-sahara-blockade-le360-reports |title=Military Clashes Erupt in Western Sahara After 30-Year Truce |date=13 November 2020 |access-date=13 November 2020 |work=[[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]] |language=en }}</ref> while the Polisario Front accused Morocco of violating the ceasefire, and urged the United Nations to intervene;<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://apnews.com/article/mauritania-morocco-armed-forces-blockades-western-sahara-32f10d1e9724668175eede89033fe7cf |title=Morocco launches military operation in Western Sahara |date=13 November 2020 |access-date=13 November 2020 |work=[[Associated Press]] |language=en }}</ref> SADR declared war on Morocco the next day.<ref name="wardeclared" /> Since the beginning of the conflict, both countries have introduced mass mobilisation.<ref name="mormobil" /><ref name="wsjstart" /> It is the first major clashes over the region since 1991.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/1762466/middle-east |title=Moroccan army launches operation in Western Sahara border zone |date=13 November 2020 |access-date=13 November 2020 |work=[[Arab News]] |language=en }}</ref> |
The clashes began on 13 November, in Guerguerat, but since has spread along the [[Moroccan Western Sahara Wall]]. Morocco claimed that it had acted in self-defence, repelling Sahrawi incursion near [[Al Mahbes]], and targeting to retake control of its internationally recognised borders with Mauritania,<ref>{{Cite web |first=Souhail |last=Karam |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-13/morocco-moves-army-to-end-western-sahara-blockade-le360-reports |title=Military Clashes Erupt in Western Sahara After 30-Year Truce |date=13 November 2020 |access-date=13 November 2020 |work=[[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]] |language=en }}</ref> while the Polisario Front accused Morocco of violating the ceasefire, and urged the United Nations to intervene;<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://apnews.com/article/mauritania-morocco-armed-forces-blockades-western-sahara-32f10d1e9724668175eede89033fe7cf |title=Morocco launches military operation in Western Sahara |date=13 November 2020 |access-date=13 November 2020 |work=[[Associated Press]] |language=en }}</ref> SADR declared war on Morocco the next day.<ref name="wardeclared" /> Since the beginning of the conflict, both countries have introduced mass mobilisation.<ref name="mormobil" /><ref name="wsjstart" /> It is the first major clashes over the region since 1991.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/1762466/middle-east |title=Moroccan army launches operation in Western Sahara border zone |date=13 November 2020 |access-date=13 November 2020 |work=[[Arab News]] |language=en }}</ref> |
Revision as of 14:26, 16 November 2020
2020 Western Saharan clashes | |||||||
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Part of the Western Sahara conflict | |||||||
Map of the Western Sahara; location of Guerguerat, where the main clashes take place, is marked with a red circle. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Morocco | SADR | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Mohammed VI Saadeddine Othmani Abdellatif Loudiyi Abdelfattah Louarak |
Brahim Ghali Mohamed Wali Akeik | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Royal Moroccan Armed Forces |
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Strength | |||||||
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Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | Unknown |
2020 Western Saharan clashes, also called Moroccan military intervention in Guerguerat, is an armed conflict between Morocco and Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), supported by its Polisario Front forces in the disputed region of Western Sahara. It was the latest escalation of an unresolved conflict over the region, which is claimed by Morocco, but 20–25% of it is governed by the SADR.[1]
Tensions between Morocco and the Polisario Front deepened in mid-October when about 200 Moroccan truck drivers got stranded on the Mauritanian side of the border near Guerguerat, which is patrolled by the UN.[2] The small village lies on a vital route connecting Morocco to sub-Saharan Africa.[3] According to the Sahrawi authorities, the Moroccan forces were deployed near the area in early November,[4] with Mauritanian forces reinforcing their positions along its border with Morocco, which is controlled by the Polisario Front.[5]
The clashes began on 13 November, in Guerguerat, but since has spread along the Moroccan Western Sahara Wall. Morocco claimed that it had acted in self-defence, repelling Sahrawi incursion near Al Mahbes, and targeting to retake control of its internationally recognised borders with Mauritania,[6] while the Polisario Front accused Morocco of violating the ceasefire, and urged the United Nations to intervene;[7] SADR declared war on Morocco the next day.[8] Since the beginning of the conflict, both countries have introduced mass mobilisation.[9][10] It is the first major clashes over the region since 1991.[11]
Background
The disputed region Western Sahara is a sparsely-populated area mostly comprising desert territories, situated in the Maghreb region of Africa's northwest coast. The region was a Spanish colony until February 1976, when the Spanish government informed the United Nations that it withdrawn from the territory. Since then, the region has been the subject of a long-running territorial dispute between Morocco and part of its indigenous Sahrawi people, led by the Algerian-backed pro-independence Polisario Front,[12] which resulted in the Western Sahara War (1975–1991), where the Moroccan forces obtained control of more than two-thirds of the vast desert territory in its western part, along the Atlantic Ocean.[13] During the war, between 1980 and 1987, Morocco built six mostly sand barriers some 2,700 kilometres (1,700 mi) long,[14] and in 1988, both Morocco and the Polisario Front agreed to a UN Settlement Plan, approved by the UN Security Council on 29 April 1991, called for a referendum, which would ask the Sahrawis to choose between independence or integration into Morocco, to be organized and conducted by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in the Western Sahara (MINURSO).[15] After the war, on 6 September 1991, an UN-brokered ceasefire was signed,[16] promising a referendum to the Sahrawis, with the UN recognising the area as "non-self-governing territory".[17] Despite the efforts, the planned referendum has been repeatedly delayed ever since then.[18]
Guerguerat is a small village located on the southern coast of the region, along the road leading to Mauritania, some 380 kilometres (240 mi) north of Nouakchott, in a buffer zone patrolled by MINURSO.[19] Tensions yet again deepened between Morocco and the Polisario Front in mid-October, when the Sahrawi refugees in Tindouf, Algeria, which houses about 100,000 Sahrawi refugees,[20] passing through SADR-controlled territories, camped and blocked the road, creating a large caravan of vehicles and blocking traffic in the region.[21] Morocco, which regards the region as vital to trade with sub-Saharan Africa,[3] accused the Polisario Front of infiltrating the buffer zone and "carrying out acts of banditry" in Guerguerat.[22] The Morrocan authorities also stated that the Polisario Front was harassing UN troops at the crossing, though the UN denied this.[17] In early November, around 200 Moroccan truck drivers appealed to Moroccan and Mauritanian authorities for help, saying they were stranded on the Mauritanian side of the border near Guerguerat, and adding that they didn't have access to drinking water, food, shelter, or medicine, with some suffering from chronic illnesses.[2] According to Jeune Afrique, Morocco first appealed to the United Nations to resolve the conflict peacefully, and that although the secretary-general of the United Nations, António Guterres, approved this request, the situation was not resolved.[23] On 8 November, Polisario Front authorities stated that Morocco was deploying a large number of police and other security forces near Guerguerat.[4] On 12 November, Mauritanian forces reinforced their positions along border Polisario Front-controlled territories bordering Mauritania.[5]
Course of the conflict
13 November
The clashes erupted on 13 November, when the Moroccan forces launched an offensive on Guerguerat to seize control of the road passing by the village.[24] According to Sahrawi sources, the Moroccan forces violated the ceasefire by penetrating the demilitarized zone,[25] crossing the Moroccan Western Sahara Wall in three different directions.[26] The Moroccan authorities stated that they had acted in self-defence, after a Sahrawi attack on Al Mahbes,[27] and launched an offensive in order to restore free circulation of civilian and commercial traffic in the area.[28] Later in the day, the Polisario Front stated that its forces fired upon four Moroccan bases and two checkpoints along the security wall.[29]
14 November
On 14 November, the SADR declared war on Morocco.[8] the Polisario Front then stated that its forces had launched attacks on Moroccan military positions near Bagari, Al Mahbes and Garguerat. Morocco denied that it suffered casualties.[30]
15 November
On 15 November, more skirmishing was reported between SADR and Moroccan forces along the security wall.[10]
Non-military actions taken by Morocco and SADR
On 13 November, both Morocco and SADR introduced mass mobilisation.[9][10]
Official statements
Morocco
On 16 November, Morroco's prime minister, Saadeddine Othmani, stated the operation led by the Moroccan forces was a strategic change to open the route in the Mauritania border.[31]
Domestic reactions
Morocco
On 13 November, Sahrawi sources stated that there were mass protests in Laayoune, the unofficial capital of Western Sahara, which is de facto administered by Morocco, against the clashes.[32] The Moroccan media denied these claims, stating that the city's population were in support of the Moroccan forces, citing Laayoune's mayor.[33] Despite that, SADR's Équipe Media reported that the Moroccan government was exercising strong police force, and had arrested several activists.[34] Next day, the Sahrawi sources stated that the Moroccan security forces had arrested several demonstrators in Smara.[35]
International reactions
Supranational and regional organizations
The secretary-general of the United Nations, António Guterres,[36] and the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, expressed their grave concern over the conflict.[37] The secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Yousef Al-Othaimeen, stated that it supports Morocco's efforts to what it called "securing freedom of civil and commercial movement."[38][39]
Countries
Bahrain,[40] Central African Republic, Comoros, Djibouti, Gabon,[41] Jordan,[42] Oman,[43] Qatar,[44] Saudi Arabia,[45] Turkey,[46] the United Arab Emirates,[47] and Yemen[48] voiced their support for Morocco, while Guyana withdrew its recognition of the SADR.[49] Palestine, which has limited recognition, also voiced its support for Morocco's territorial integrity.[50]
Egypt,[41] Mauritania,[51] Spain,[52] and Russia[53] urged both parties to respect the ceasefire.
Algeria, which backs the Polisario Front, accused Morocco of violating the ceasefire and urged the UN to appoint a new Western Sahara envoy to restart talks.[54] Also, Spain's second deputy prime minister Pablo Iglesias Turrión,[55] and Venezuela[56] stated that they supported the right to self-determination of the Sahrawis.
Minorities abroad
- Sahrawis
On 15 November, a group of Sahrawis staged a rally in front of the Moroccan consulate in Valencia, Spain. The protestors dismantled the flag of Morocco from the consulate, raising the SADR's flag over the building.[57][58] Spain condemned the incident.[59]
Analysis
According to International Crisis Group's Portuguese analytic Riccardo Fabiani, the conflict could be a "potential breaking point that could have major repercussions", adding that the United Nations had been quite negligent towards this issue.[19]
References
- ^ "Sáhara Occidental - cuadro zonas mapa político-militar" (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Moroccan truckers stuck on Mauritania border urge help". Agence France-Presse. 7 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020 – via Arab News.
- ^ a b "Polisario Front threatens to end Morocco ceasefire". Middle East Monitor. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Polisario Front Warns Morocco Against Moving Troops Into Buffer Zone". Agence France-Presse. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020 – via Arab News.
- ^ a b "Mauritania army reinforces positions along border with Morocco". Middle East Online. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ Karam, Souhail (13 November 2020). "Military Clashes Erupt in Western Sahara After 30-Year Truce". Bloomberg. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ "Morocco launches military operation in Western Sahara". Associated Press. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Western Sahara independence group declares war on Morocco". Axios. 14 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ a b Kasraoui, Safaa (13 November 2020). "Morocco Mobilizes Army in Guerguerat in Response to Polisario's Provocations". Morocco World News. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ a b c "Morocco Forces Clash With Western Sahara Fighters, Risking Wider War". The Wall Street Journal. 15 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Moroccan army launches operation in Western Sahara border zone". Arab News. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ "Algeria: Western Sahara conflict is a colonialism issue". Middle East Monitor. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "Military Tensions Rise in Morocco-Polisario Western Sahara Conflict". Africanews. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ Belalloufi, Amal (7 February 2017). "Life behind the Sahara desert 'wall of shame'". Yahoo News. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "The United Nations Operation in the Western Sahara". Human Rights Watch. 1 October 1995. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Abdelaziz, Salma (10 November 2010). "Deadly clashes reported in disputed Western Sahara". CNN News. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ a b Paget, Sharif; McCluskey, Mitchell (15 November 2020). "Deadly clashes reported in disputed Western Sahara". CNN News. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Belalloufi, Amal (14 November 2020). "The Western Sahara conflict reignites". The North Africa Journal. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Morocco troops launch operation in Western Sahara border zone". Al Jazeera. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ "Algeria/Western Sahara: Three Dissidents Behind Bars". Human Rights Watch. 16 July 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Activistas saharauis bloquean el paso del Guerguerat, principal carretera de conexión con Mauritania". Público (in Spanish). 25 October 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "Rabat deploys army in WSahara border zone after Polisario warnings". Radio France Internationale. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020 – via Arab News.
- ^ "Maroc : que s'est-il vraiment passé à Guerguerate ?". Jeune Afrique (in French). 13 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Fears grow of new Western Sahara war between Morocco and Polisario Front". Reuters. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ "El Frente Polisario acusa a Marruecos de violar el alto el fuego tras la intervención del ejército en una protesta en el Sáhara". Público (in Spanish). 13 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "El Polisario acusa a Rabat de violar la tregua y responde a una agresión marroquí en el paso de Guerguerata". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 13 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Morocco's Army Neutralizes Polisario Attack in Mahbes". Morocco World News. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Ceasefire declared over as Morocco launches Western Sahara military operation". Middle East Eye. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ "El Polisario ataca 4 bases y dos puestos de control de Marruecos en el muro". Clarín (in Spanish). 13 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Marruecos reconoce "hostigamientos" del Frente Polisario, pero sin víctimas mortales". El Confidencial (in Spanish). 14 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Royal Armed Forces' Operation, 'Strategic Change' Putting End to Attempts to Block Guerguarat: El Othmani". Maghreb Arabe Press. 16 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "Los saharauis salen a las calles de El Aaiún ocupado y se enfrentan a las autoridades ocupantes". EcSaharaui (in Spanish). 13 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Inhabitants of Laâyoune Fully Support Morocco's Decision To Act in Guergarate (Ould Errachid)". Maghreb Arabe Press. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "España condena la colocación de una bandera del Frente Polisario en el consulado de Marruecos en Valencia". Nius Diario (in Spanish). 15 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "La represión se intensifica en el Sahara Occidental ocupado". EcSaharaui (in Spanish). 14 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Guterres 'remains committed' to maintaining 1991 ceasefire in Western Sahara". UN News. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ "Statement of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, on the tensions in the Guerguerat buffer zone". African Union. 14 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "OIC supports Morocco's measures in Guerguerat". Organization of Islamic Cooperation. 14 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "OIC Supports Morocco's Measures to Secure Freedom of Civil and Commercial Movement in Guerguerat". Saudi Press Agency. 14 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "Bahrain expresses its solidarity with the Kingdom of Morocco against the attacks of the "Polisario" militias". Aluom. 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ a b "El Guerguerate: Plusieurs pays africains soutiennent le Maroc". Yabiladi (in French). 15 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "الأردن يقف مع المغرب في حماية مصالحه ووحدة أراضيه وأمنه". Al Ghad (in Arabic). 13 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "الإمارات وقطر تعلنان دعمهما لتدخل الجيش المغربي في الكركرات". Alyaoum24 (in Arabic). 13 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "السلطنة تعرب عن تأييدها للمملكة المغربية الشقيقة فيما اتخذته من إجراءات لحماية أمنها وسيادتها على أراضيها". Shabiba (in Arabic). 13 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia supports Morocco's measures to ensure freedom of traffic in Guerguerat". Union of OIC News Agencies. 15 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "W. Sahara: Turkey voices support for political solution". Anadolu Agency. 15 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "الإمارات تؤيد قرار الملك بالتدخل العسكري بالكركرات". Alyaoum24 (in Arabic). 13 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ "اليمن تؤيد الاجراءات المغربية لضمان عودة الحركة الطبيعية في منطقة معبر الكركرات" (in Arabic). Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 14 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Guyana withdraws recognition of pseudo-SADR". The North Africa Post. 15 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "سفارة فلسطين بالرباط تؤكد على موقفها الرسمي التابت تجاه الوحدة الترابية وتضحد مزاعم بلاغ مشبوه باسم منظمة الشبيبة الفلسطينية". Sabaha Gadir (in Arabic). 14 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Tensions flare in Western Sahara as pro-independents Polisario accuse Morocco of ending ceasefire". France24. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ "Spain calls for "responsibility and restraint" in Western Sahara". The Diplomat in Spain. 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "Comment by the Information and Press Department on the developments in Western Sahara". Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "Fears Grow of New Western Sahara War Between Morocco and Polisario Front". US News. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ "ÚLTIMA HORA | El Vicepresidente de España, Pablo Iglesias pide la celebración de un referéndum en el Sáhara Occidental". EcSaharaui (in Spanish). 15 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Venezuela reitera apoyo a autodeterminación del pueblo saharaui". El País (in Spanish). 14 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "España condena el intento de colocar la bandera saharaui en el consulado marroquí de Valencia". El Español (in Spanish). 15 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
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