The Western Sahara Dispute: A Cautionary Tale for Peacebuilders
The UN and MINURSO have succeeded neither inconducting a referendum nor in fostering a negotiated solution to the problem. Indeed,the Secretariat and the Security Council missed two chances to suspend what has becomea self-perpetuating ‘peace process’; if they had taken advantage of these opportunitiesand suspended negotiations, the parties would have had to rethink their positions andperhaps entered into more serious negotiations aimed at reaching some sort of compromise.
Conflict resolution in Western Sahara
The efforts to resolve the Western Sahara conflict have been jeopardised by the difficulties involved in trying to promote a democratic solution for a territory that is militarily controlled by an autocratic regime, the Moroccan government.
The UN and Western Sahara – Reviving the UN Charter
The Sahrawi people's right to self-determination remains unfulfilled, as Morocco continues to occupy the territory and reject any referendum that includes independence. The article highlights the failure of current UN efforts and calls for renewed commitment to international law and decolonisation principles.