US-Morocco relations and Western Sahara sovereignty dispute
The developments in this story so far, most recent first.
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Development
Trump reiterates US support for Morocco's Western Sahara autonomy plan
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· date approximate Background
A ceasefire agreement was reached under United Nations mediation following armed struggle between Morocco and the Polisario Front.
Following Morocco's annexation of Western Sahara in 1975, tensions escalated between the Rabat government and the Polisario Front, which sought independence and was backed by Algeria. This conflict led to an armed struggle between the Polisario Front and Moroccan security forces.
The fighting lasted until 1991, when a ceasefire agreement was reached under United Nations mediation. Since the 1991 ceasefire, negotiations regarding the status of Western Sahara have not reached a resolution.
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· date approximate Background
Morocco annexed Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, to its territory.
In 1975, Morocco annexed Western Sahara, which was formerly a Spanish colony, to its territory. This move led to escalating tensions between the Moroccan government in Rabat and the Polisario Front, an independence-seeking group backed by Algeria.
While Morocco maintains that Western Sahara should remain under its sovereignty, the Polisario Front claims the territory is an independent state. Despite negotiations following a 1991 ceasefire, a resolution regarding the status of Western Sahara has not been reached.