World Watch: In Western Sahara, an olive branch
Guerrilla forces in the Western Sahara region of Africa have released more than 400 Moroccan prisoners of war, some of whom had been held for as long as 20 years. But though their return was widely praised on humanitarian grounds, prospects for resolving the longstanding dispute between the Algerian-backed forces and Morocco are far from certain.
The release took "quiet and intense diplomatic efforts by the United States, Morocco, and Algeria," the White House said, and was overseen by Sen. Richard Lugar, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"The United States has long viewed the release of these prisoners as an important humanitarian goal and a constructive step for peace and stability in North Africa," said Senator Lugar, who traveled to Rabat last week. More recently, the United States has focused on the area out of concern that it could become a staging ground for terrorists.
The 30-year-old dispute began when Spain, which once controlled the area as a colony, left in 1975. Morocco quickly tried to annex the territory, citing historical ties, but the Polisario Front, the Algerian-backed group, took up arms, with the backing of Cuba and Libya. The Polisario has sought independence for Western Sahara, a region with a population of about 270,000 and rich in mineral resources like phosphate. Fighting continued until the United Nations brokered a ceasefire in 1991.
For more than a decade, however, the two sides have disagreed over possible solutions to the conflict. The U.N. called for a referendum, but the two sides disputed each other's standards for voter eligibility. After Spain left the region, thousands of Moroccans entered the area, while thousands of Saharans fled to Algeria. Under U.N. auspices, former Secretary of State James Baker subsequently proposed a settlement that would have included Moroccan sovereignty over the area with autonomy for the Western Sahara region, followed by a referendum. That effort stalled, too.
Polisario representatives say they have "no further debts" now that they have released the prisoners.
"We hope thus to contribute to the reduction of the suffering of the Saharawi people in the territories occupied by Morocco as well as contributing toward a just and lasting resolution of the conflict," said Mohamed Sidati, a Polisario representative to Europe, according to the Associated Press.
Robert Holley, director of the Moroccan American Center for Policy, a Washington-based nonprofit organization backed by the Moroccan government, says the burden is on the Algerians to get the Polisario back to the negotiating table.
"The Algerians like to try to duck the issue and say they don't have a dog in this fight," he told U.S. News. "But it's clear that when the Algerians want something to happen—like this prisoner release—they make it happen."
Holley says the United States and the international community must "follow through" and keep up pressure on the issue in order to help the two sides reach an agreement.
Despite this month's humanitarian breakthrough, the dispute may not yet have reached a turning point. "I don't see this is going to be the decisive act that will alter the negotiating stances, especially on the Moroccan side," says John Entelis, a Fordham University professor who specializes in Middle East studies. "They don't want the Algerians to score points on this. It's an ongoing regional battle with the Algerians over who has hegemony in the area."
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