February 26, 2004
The Polisario movement which is fighting for the independence of the Western Sahara released a further 100 Moroccan prisoners of war this week, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said. An ICRC spokesman told IRIN they were flown home on an ICRC plane from Tindouf in Western Algeria, where several camps housing 165,000 Western Sahara refugees are situated.
"Even as we welcome the release of this group, we still hope and appeal for the release of the remaining 514 prisoners on humanitarian grounds without linking their release to political solutions," he told IRIN from Geneva. Prior to their repatriation, ICRC delegates had interviewed the prisoners individually to ensure that they were being repatriated of their own free will.
Western Sahara was annexed by Morocco in 1976 after Spain withdrew from its former colony. The Polisario Front has been fighting since then for it to become an independent state. A ceasefire was agreed in 1991, since when the political wrangling has continued.
The latest UN plan to resolve the dispute was drawn up last year by former US Secretary of State James Baker. It provides for a referendum in four to five years time. This would offer the inhabitants of the territory a choice between independence, autonomy within Morocco or complete integration with Morocco. The plan was accepted by Polisario in July and was approved by the UN Security Council in August, but Morocco rejected it.
In January, the UN proposed extending its mission to the Western Sahara for three months amid signs that Morocco would respond positively to the latest UN proposal.
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