Non -recognizing the king

Western sugar, which is called the "last colony in Africa", can again become the "territory of the war"

In West Africa, another war may begin, and in this case we are talking about a new round of a protracted confrontation that has been lasting many decades - in a region known as Western Sahara .

After the annexation in 1975 of Western Sahara, the Kingdom of Morocco, the region, according to experts, left more than 40 percent of the indigenous population. Of the 165 thousand refugees living in Algeria, about half receive humanitarian aid from the United Nations. New crises are constantly multiplying and replacing old -fashioned ones that are not amenable to resolution; The international financing of refugee camps is reduced, alternative sources of money, with the exception of criminal business, drug trafficking or transferring illegal immigrants to Europe, does not appear. It would not be surprising if the Sakharians now returned to negotiations with the Government of Morocco, whose sovereignty over the territory they dispute. However, the reaction to the impending lack of money on the part of the Front of Polisario (a rebel organization fighting for the independence of the Sahara Arab Democratic Republic, partially recognized by the world community ), is directly opposite. Polisario is today for the abolition of a truce operating since 1991, and a return to the armed struggle.

Museum of the Sadr Crown Army in a refugee camp in Algeria

In 2010-2011, protests against Moroccan rule were held in Western Sahara , which some political scientists consider the starting point of the current “Arab Spring” in all Arab countries, which were crowned by the expansion of the autonomy of the region. In general, the conflict in Western Sahara is one of the most prolonged and confused in the world. There are a lot of historical arguments in favor of their position from the Sakharyns from the front of Polisario and Morocco. The International Court in The Hague considered the arguments of both parties convincing, although adviceingly and previously determined that there are still more of them from the rebels. The court decision did not shake the positions of the Sanitizers states of the opposing camps, which there are plenty of those and others - hence the warlike mood of the rebels and the warlike mood of the rebels. And at the same time - the determination of Rabat is not to provide independence of Western sugar.

Back at the end of the 50s of the last century, the Saharai rebels, the predecessors of the front of Polisario, at the same time led the fighting against Spain, the colonial mistress of Western Sahara, and France, who owned the neighboring Algeria at that time. The consequence of partisan sorties was perhaps unprecedented in the history of European colonialism military cooperation of the two empires, which ended with the complete defeat of rebel detachments. After 20 years, in the mid-70s, Spain, not wanting to get involved in the increasing armed confrontation of Polisario and the government in Rabat, suddenly left Western sugar, not even having time to even put his jurisdiction over the territory. Therefore, Western sugar still remains a colony of Spain, and the Sakharians formally not wage the war for its independence not with Rabat, but with Madrid, says Jacob Mundi, professor of the American University of Colgate:

In addition to Western Sahara, Rabat also claimed to be the northern part of Mali, the western regions of Algeria and almost to all Mauritania

- The case we are considering is absolutely unique. Morocco, without declaring the war of Spain, invaded Western Sahara in 1975, when the territory was still Spanish. At that time, Madrid was preparing a referendum in Western Sahara, at which, despite all the contradictions between different political forces in the region, the majority of the population, apparently, would have expressed independence. The intervention of the Moroccan army prevented the conduct of plebiscite. Morocco gained independence in 1956, and immediately proclaimed a course to return the territories that allegedly belonged to her before the enslavement by Europeans in 1885. Thus, legally and ideologically, the entry of troops into Western sugar was formed. In addition to Western Sahara, Rabat also claimed to be the northern part of Mali, the western regions of Algeria and almost all of Mauritania. The government in Rabat is absolutely convinced that since it "allowed" Mali, Algeria and Mauritania to preserve its boundaries, the international community in response to such nobility is simply obliged to recognize its legal right to Western sugar.

Before the invasion of Western Sahara, Rabat created the Promarrokan faction in the area, continues Jacob Mundy, and responded very timely to the calls of "compatriots" for help. Nevertheless, it is not ideological, but the geographical proximity of Western Sahara to Morocco is the strongest, according to Rabat, the argument in favor of his claims to this territory. Say that it is close, then mine. The same logic, until the end of the 70s of the last century, inspired the claims of Mauritania to part of Western Sahara, but since the Moorish army was too weak to fight with the front of Polisario, the Unaacshot considered the good to abandon expansion.

Military personnel of the Moroccan army at a parade in Rabat

The historical component of the “Great Morocco” concept was that the Berber tribes in the west of the Sahara in the 12th century swore allegiance to the Sultan Morocco as the head of Muslims, which supposedly follows that the territory of the living tribes is part of the possessions of the Sultan, because Islam equates spiritual scrapers to sovereignty. The front of Polisario and its main ally Algeria parry that in Islam, spiritual fidelity is not equivalent to political, and that the culture of the nomadic sugar is radically different from the lifestyle of settled Moroccans, Jacob Mundi explains:

- The crisis of 1975 erupted after the decision of the International Court, which announced the claims of Morocco by groundless. Therefore, strictly speaking, Western sugar remains a Spanish colony in which a referendum on independence should be held. While this has not happened, the presence in the Moroccan troops should be recognized, from the point of view of international law, "foreign occupation."

The court, agreeing with the existence in the past of the vassal dependence of the Sugar tribes on the Moroccan sultan, still did not put an equal sign between the medieval institution of vassal relations and modern sovereignty, said Jacob Mundy. Spain, despite the illegal intervention in the light of the court decision, still did not break the diplomatic relations with Rabat, neither immediately nor to this day, although today the independence of Western Sahara has recognized about eighty states:

Demonstration in support of the independence of Western Sahara in Madrid. 2007

- No, Spain decided that its economic interests are the right to fishing fishing, the exploitation of phosphate deposits is more important than formal sovereignty. Morocco’s benefits are important to Madrid, because this area of Africa is a natural corridor of penetration of drugs and illegal migrants into the Iberian Peninsula, and a rabath is able to control the volumes of both of these flows. It is well known that Morocco is the main supplier of hash to the European market.

Spain still retains two of its enclaves, Seutu and Melil in Morocco, and does not want to arouse disputes around their status by demarcers in defense of Western Sahara or protests against the oppression of the local population by the Moroccans. The monitoring mission of the UN Committee on Human Rights in the region is extremely difficult. Spain, moreover, is one of the most important trading partners of Morocco. Just like France and Paris, Paris strongly supports Rabat's sovereignty over Western sugar. This is important, given that France is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and can block any anti -Macrocan initiative there. The organization of African unity recognized Western sugar by a sovereign state, and Kolisario with Morocco can play the role of an intermediary in negotiations. The impulse of the negotiation process was not brought by the restoration of diplomatic relations in Morocco and Algeria in 1988, which provided the Saharia residents with weapons and bases on its territory. Thus, the Sugar conflict is firmly stuck in the category of "frozen", says Jacob Mundy:

- The international community and the United Nations were pretty hard to work out to reconcile the front of Polisario and the Government of Morocco. All the 90s have gone to determine who has the right to participate in a referendum. But in the 99th year, the Moroccan king Hassan II died , and the interest of the Western countries in the referendum was noticeably weakened; They are afraid that the vote, whatever its result, will be shaken by the stability of the country. The current monarch Muhammad VI also does not want a referendum. All the diplomacy of the previous decade has gone around the drain. The parties returned to the zero mark, and for 10-12 years they can’t move from her: Polisario insists on plebiscite, Morocco says that the referendum on sovereignty is not a roulette game, and refuses to put it on con.

The troops of the front of Polisario

Indeed, who has the right to vote in a referendum? An adult population living in Western Sahara as of the last, pre -crisis 1974? But not all the Sakharyns then had a certificate of personality or birth certificate. Polisario claims that Rabat presented forgery documents to many Moroccan immigrants in sugar. The government, for its part, contrary to Polisario, brings to the lists of potential Sacharian voters who moved to cities in the north of the country. Moreover, according to the Moroccan authorities, in the camps of the Sakhary refugees (an indisputable, seemingly electorate) over many years, many Berber from foreign tribes, as well as Algerians who attracted a relatively high level of ensuring forced migrants by the United Nations. The camps of refugees from Western Sahara in Algeria in Algeria for many years were in charge of the government of this country, which did not allow the Oon demographs to conduct their censuses.

Speaking of the UN: in the Security Council, Morocco has recently appeared in addition to France by another ally, although not so obvious - the United States of America. Washington is seriously alarmed by the intensification of activities in the Sachel zone of Islamic fundamentalists, Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda, and the rights of the Sakharyans are forced to focus in the face of the super-task of the preservation of Morocco as a key partner in opposing international terrorism. The US Congress insisted that all funds to help the Sakharyns go through the government in Rabat. As soon as the United States allowed the situation in the Council of Council of People's Commissars of the Human Rights in Western Sahara, Rabat immediately canceled the planned anti -terrorist military exercises with the Americans. Six months later, during the visit of King Muhammad VI to Washington, the White House made it clear that he supported the idea of the autonomy of Western Sahara as part of Morocco.

Spanish brand 1924, when Western Sahara was a Spanish colony in Africa

Paradoxically, Western sugar, despite the frozen conflict, is the most stable part of the Sahel; Morocco holds tens of thousands of soldiers there. The United States does not recognize the sovereignty of Morocco over Western Sahara, from the action of the American-Marokkan Free Trade Treaty of 2004, the entire nomenclature of goods produced in Western Sahara is deliberately deduced, but neither America nor other large world powers go to more severe economic sanctions in relation to Rabat. The price of preservation of the status quo is below the expected price of attempts to change it, the professor of Colgate University summarized Jacob Mundy . The expert of the Heritage Foundation Charlot Florence agrees with him:

- Firstly, the UN Security Council, in principle, avoids territorial conflicts between states and non-state formations, because the latter are poorly controlled. Secondly, diplomats see potential parallels between the situation in Morocco and the bloody struggle of Algeria for their independence, and do not want to repeat that sad experience. Algeria was not just a private colony of France, which considered it an integral part of the state and did not want to let him go. The Algerian conflict was the cause of a number of large government crises in Paris.

According to diplomats, the connection of Morocco and Western Sahara is as inseparable as Algeria and France once

According to diplomats, the connection of Morocco and Western Sahara is as inseparable as Algeria and France once. What will happen if you try to break it? Thirdly, Morocco, from the point of view of many countries, benefits from the fact that its monarchy is moderate and relatively tolerant. These countries remember how Spain threw sugar at the peak of the Cold War, "leaving an enlightened by this time, the pro -Western Moroccan monarchy, which had not fought with the Spaniards or the French for a long time, one on one with the Marxist movement of Polisario, supported by radical Algeria and Libya. Fourth, despite the restoration of diplomatic agents, rivalry for leadership in the region between Morocco and Algeria, where the military dominate, and it is not clear how they will perceive the possible weakening of Morocco. The Moroccan monarch, I remind you, smallerly accused Algeria in the organization of the attack in Marrakesh in 2011, although it arranged it, as it turned out later, al -Qaeda, ”says a political scientist, expert on the countries of North and West Africa Charlot Florence from the American Heritage Foundation.