New York , 24 August 2016 (SPS) –The Frente POLISARIO has called for urgent UN action to uphold the ceasefire agreement between the POLISARIO and Morocco in response to ongoing Moroccan violations of the 1991 deal. Since 11 August, Moroccan occupation forces in Western Sahara have repeatedly crossed the Moroccan military wall in the Al Guargarat zone in defiance of military agreement No. 1 of the ceasefire, which prohibits any work or deployment in a 5km strip along the wall.
In a letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General, Frente POLISARIO Secretary-General and Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic President Brahim Ghali said “such behaviors are part of a pattern of systematic escalation, the latest manifestation of which was the expulsion by the Moroccan State of occupation of the civilian and administrative personnel of MINURSO.” He added that “this action represented a dangerous precedent aimed at undermining the mandate of the mission and the blatant and serious affront to the decisions of competences of the UN Security Council.”
The POLISARIO urged UN Security Council to call for the immediate cessation of the work undertaken by Morocco and asked the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to install an observation post in the area to calm the situation. The POLISARIO asked MINUSRO to report to the UN Security Council in accordance with its mandate to monitor the ceasefire.
Frente POLISARIO MINURSO Coordinator Emhamed Khadad stated,“in the absence of real pressure by the international community, Morocco has been given a green light to embark on an aggressive provocation against the Saharawi people. The UN cannot allow Morocco to get away with this blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.”SPS
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