Morocco marks Western Sahara occupation anniversary
The gist
Morocco commemorated the 51st Green March anniversary in Laayoune as the UN's Western Sahara mission wound down.
The territory's status remains disputed, and families stay split across a desert berm.
How it unfolded
- 1975Morocco's Green March, a mass mobilization into then Spanish-controlled Western Sahara, helped pave the way for Morocco's takeover of most of the disputed territory.
- 1991The U.N. mission MINURSO was established to monitor a ceasefire and organize a referendum on independence or union with Morocco.
- 2014MINURSO-facilitated family visits were suspended after disagreements between the parties.
Key terms
- Green March
- A 1975 mass demonstration organized by Morocco to press Spain to cede Spanish Sahara to Morocco.
- Western Sahara
- A disputed non-self-governing territory in northwestern Africa, largely desert, claimed by Morocco and sought by Sahrawi independence movements.
- Polisario Front
- A Sahrawi nationalist liberation movement seeking independence for Western Sahara through armed resistance and political advocacy.
Source: Wikipedia