Morocco celebrates passing of U.S. legislation on Sahara + Who are the Polisario?



Morocco is celebrating that the U.S. passed a bill giving money allocated to Morroco to the Sahara.

The North Africa Post writes:

"The Polisario and its mentor Algeria have launched maneuvers aiming at undermining Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces by using the economic card."

They add:

"The US appropriation bill, signed into law Friday by President Donald Trump and stipulating explicitly that the assistance funds allocated to Morocco will also benefit the Sahara, is another utter defeat for the separatist camp after the EU parliament approved the fisheries deal on Feb. 12 and before that, on Jan.16, the agricultural agreement, which both cover the Sahara.

In adopting the bill, US lawmakers renew their strong bipartisan support for a negotiated solution to the Sahara dispute, based on autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty, and encourage US private sector to invest in the Sahara."

They continue:

"The Polisairo’s challenge to these agreements was considered by the EU top court as invalid as the separatist entity, headquartered in the authoritarian Algerian state, is not eligible to plea or claim to represent the population in the Sahara who have their own legitimate elected bodies. This has been stressed by a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling that stressed that the Polisario is unqualified to challenge the Moroccan-EU agricultural agreement and that the agreements “do not concern the Polisario Front.”

The latest decisions by the USA and the EU stress Morocco’s pre-eminence as sole interlocutor in negotiating international agreements covering the Sahara, a fact that is boosted by the reality on the ground."




What is the Polisario?
Coat of arms of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.svg

The Polisario or Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro" is a separatist organization calling for the removal of Morrocan presence in the Western Sahara

The U.N. considers the Polisario to be legitimate but the ECJ ruling states that the Polisario is unable to represent the Sahrawi people since the people in the Sahara have their own elected bodies.

Works Cited

“Morocco Celebrates Precious Diplomatic Goals on Sahara Issue.” The North Africa Post, 17 Feb. 2019, northafricapost.com/28078-morocco-celebrates-precious-diplomatic-goals-on-sahara-issue.html.

“Polisario Front.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Jan. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polisario_Front.

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