Western Sahara edges closer to renewed conflict
Back in the spotlight, the fate of Western Sahara is no closer to resolution
ACCORDING to the map sold in the gift shop at the airport in Laayoune, the capital of Western Sahara, the territory belongs solely to Morocco. But the airport itself contains signs that this is contested land. Planes bearing the UN’s marking sit on the runway, while its soldiers, sporting blue berets, roam the arrivals hall. They are there to keep the peace between Morocco and the Polisario Front, a nationalist movement that has fought for independence for more than 40 years.
Fears are growing of a return to armed conflict. Provocations by Morocco have infuriated Polisario, which has responded in kind. Since last summer the UN has stood between the two enemies, just 120 metres apart, in the remote area of Guerguerat. Diplomats worry that an itchy trigger finger could restart the 16-year war that the UN helped end in 1991. “The threat to peace and security is probably the worst we have seen since then,” says a UN official.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline "The never-ending dispute"
More from Middle East and Africa
University protests about Gaza spread to the Middle East
But Arab students are looking to America for inspiration
Gulf governments are changing, but not how they talk to citizens
Rumours about downpours in Dubai and rosé in Riyadh stem from a lack of trust
How South Africa has changed 30 years after apartheid
Poverty is rife and inequality still starkly racial