Morocco offers autonomy in Western Sahara

RABAT, Morocco

It is an arid, sparsely populated part of the world on the Atlantic coast of North Africa. For decades, the Western Sahara has been caught in a tug of war between Morocco and Algeria.

Morocco seized the territory in 1975 after it gained independence from Spain and refuses to give up control. Algeria, which shelters the separatist movement known as the Polisario Front, insists the Western Saharans should have their say in the matter.

After decades of squabbling, war and failed negotiations, Morocco says it will submit a proposal to the United Nations in April that would grant autonomy to the people of Western Sahara.

“We are ready to take this risk as a compromise,” said Taib Fassi Fihri, Morocco’s minister delegate for foreign affairs and cooperation. “We are ready to go as far as we can to negotiate. When everybody agrees, we can grant autonomy in good faith.”

Under this plan, the Sahrawis, as the area’s people are called, would run their own affairs while remaining under Moroccan sovereignty.

Government spokesman Nabil Benabdallah said the terms of the proposal will be defined during negotiations, but indicated they would involve “total devolution of authority on people over everyday affairs.”

This does not mean self-government, he said.

“Morocco will still be in charge of issues such as defense and foreign affairs.” If the plan is accepted, Morocco will become the first country in the Arab world to give autonomy to one of its territories. Observers familiar with the 30-year dispute see the plan as something new.

Robert Holley, executive director of the Moroccan American Center for Policy, a Washington-based nonprofit organization created to enhance Morocco-U.S. relations, said the initiative sets a precedent for a diverse nation that has opposed separatism.

Shadow of terrorism

“For a thousand years, Morocco has tried to make diversity work against the tendency for diversity to spin off into something else,” said Mr. Holley. “For Morocco to say they’re willing to accept autonomy is a politically courageous thing because of the risks attached.”

Moroccan officials, however, say the risks of not reaching a compromise could be worse. They warn that if a political solution is not found, the Sahel — the belt of countries between North Africa and states south of the Sahara, where borders are less controlled, could become a breeding ground for terrorism.

“There are a lot of young people in the Sahel who are leaning towards radical Islam, with groups such as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat gaining ground,” said Hamid Chabar, the Moroccan representative of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, created in 1991.

Khalid Zerouali, director of migration and border surveillance in the Moroccan Interior Ministry, calls the Sahel a “no man’s land controlled by terrorists and mafia groups.” He said the presence of the Polisario Front makes it even more dangerous.

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