Amy Goodman
@DemocracyNow·3.2M subscribers·19.4K videos
Africa’s Last Colony: Western Saharan Independence Movement Mourns Loss of Polisario Front Leader
Posted
June 2, 2016
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16:49Now PlayingA leader of the independence movement in Western Sahara died Tuesday. Mohamed Abdelaziz was the leader and cofounder of the Sahrawi people’s Polisario Front movement, which has demanded independence ever since Morocco took over most of Western Sahara in 1975. He was 68. A 16yearlong insurgency led by the indigenous Polisario Front ended with a U.N.brokered truce in 1991. The resolution promised a referendum on independence, which has yet to take place. Morocco is only willing to grant limited autonomy to the disputed region. Eightyfour countries as well as the African Union recognize Western Sahara as an independent nation. In March, Morocco expelled U.N. staffers from Western Sahara after SecretaryGeneral Ban Kimoon referred to Morocco’s rule over the region as "occupation" during a visit to refugee camps in the Algerian town of Tindouf, located in southwestern Algeria. The expulsion of the 84 U.N. staffers has put at risk the ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario Front. We speak to Sidi Omar, ambassadoratlarge of the Polisario Front, and University of San Francisco professor Stephen Zunes.
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