News / North Africa

Morocco asks UN to pull over 80 staff out of Sahara mission

Thursday, 17 March 2016 7:07 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 17 March 2016 7:06 PM ]

A member of the United Nations peace mission MINURSO gestures during a visit of the UN chief at a UN base in Bir-Lahlou, in the disputed territory of Western Sahara on March 5, 2016. (AFP photo)

Morocco has asked the United Nations to withdraw over 80 international staff from its Western Sahara mission amid Rabat's anger over UN chief's controversial remarks about the contested region.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday that Morocco had handed the world body a list of 84 staff it wants withdrawn within three days.

The spokesman also noted that three of the people on the list submitted by the Moroccan authorities were affiliated with the African Union (AU) and the rest were UN staff.

"All of these measures would seriously impede the functioning of MINURSO (the UN Western Sahara mission)," Dujarric said.

Diplomatic sources say UN political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman is set to brief the Security Council on the situation later on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Moroccan Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar has threatened to take further measures in retaliation for Ban Ki-moon’s description of Moroccan rule over Western Sahara as an "occupation." Rabat has accused the UN secretary-general of no longer being neutral over the issue.

Morocco's government on Tuesday also threatened to pull out of UN peacekeeping missions in protest at Ban's comments.

Following the UN chief’s remarks earlier this month, in a statement released by the official MAP news agency, Rabat criticized the “unjustified gestures of deference” by Ban. The statement further warned that the UN’s “no longer neutral” stance could “jeopardize the process.”

Moroccan protesters hold placards and shout slogans in the capital Rabat, on March 13, 2016. (AFP photo)

On Sunday, protesters gathered in Rabat to express their anger at Ban's recent use of the word “occupation” regarding Morocco’s presence in the territory.

The demonstrators, who were chanting slogans like “the Sahara is ours,” were led by political parties, unions, and non-governmental groups.

The government in Rabat and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which claims the disputed territory belongs to ethnic Sahrawis, have failed to reach an agreement despite a UN-brokered ceasefire in 1991.

For decades, the UN has been seeking to hold a referendum on independence for the territory, which was annexed by Morocco after Spain withdrew from the country back in 1975.

This is while Rabat has proposed increased autonomy for the territory under its sovereignty.

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