March 26, 2003
The United Nations Security Council has decided that the UN mission in Western Sahara, MINURSO, will remain in the northwestern African territory for another two months following a unanimous decision on Tuesday to extend the mission's mandate to 31 May, the Council said in New York.
The Council's decision was in line with a request made by Secretary-General Kofi Annan for the world body to continue its presence in Western Sahara so to give more time to the parties to the conflict - Morocco and the Polisario Front - to consider a proposed "Peace Plan for self-determination for the people of Western Sahara".
In 1975 following the withdrawal of Spain from its colony, Morocco - with assistance from Mauritania - invaded the Western Sahara. Armed conflict with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra ad Rio de Oro (Polisario) ensued until 1991 when the UN secured a ceasefire, pledged to organise a referendum on the territory's future, and deployed MINURSO. Although the UN has succeeded in preventing the resumption of fighting, it has however failed to organise the referendum. It had proposed several plans that failed to satisfy both parties. The main stumbling block has been disagreement between the two sides over who would be eligible to vote in the proposed referendum.
The peace plan was proposed by Annan in early 2002 as a means of resolving the conflict. Its four options included ending the UN mission, implementing a 1998 settlement plan which included the referendum, the revising of a draft framework agreement worked out by Annan's special envoy James Baker, and discussing the division of the territory.
The Saharaoui conflict has created a refugee community of thousands of people that is largely depent on international aid, as well as group of prisoners of war (POW). The refugees have been living in four camps named after Western Sahara towns and have relied on agencies such the World Food Programme and the EU's Humanitarian Office for their basic needs. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Community of the Red Cross and NGOs, including Caritas and Oxfam, are some of the agencies working to bring aid and assistance to Sahraoui refugees. While Morocco says that it has released all its Saharoui POWs, the Polisario still holds several hundreds of Moroccan prisoners.
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