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| Title | Chronology for Saharawis in Morocco |
| Publisher | Minorities at Risk Project |
| Country | Morocco |
| Publication Date | 2004 |
| Cite as | Minorities at Risk Project, Chronology for Saharawis in Morocco, 2004, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/469f38bf17.html [accessed 30 May 2012] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Chronology for Saharawis in Morocco
| Date(s) | Item |
|---|---|
| Guerrillas claimed that they have been launching daily small scale attacks upon Moroccan fortifications since November of 1989. | |
| The POLISARIO Front achieved a unilateral cease fire as a gesture of good faith in the UN peace plan. | |
| The POLISARIO Front claimed that 39 prisoners died due to abuse in the Moroccan camps. | |
| A spokesman for the POLISARIO Front warned that if the Moroccans decided not to hold the referendum or tried to interfere in the running of it, the POLISARIO would renew its armed struggle on all fronts. This threat was often repeated during the various pauses in hostilities between the two parties from this point onward. | |
| King Hassan II granted a general amnesty to members of the POLISARIO Front. | |
| Moroccan aircraft strafed the oasis of Tifariti. This results is renewed fighting throughout the month. This fighting resulted in the total destruction of Bir Lahlou and Tifariti (with a combined population of 2365). Many Saharawis fleeing from Moroccan troops died of thirst in the desert and many more were missing. Morocco called the action a mopping up operation. | |
| King Hassan II called on the UN to delay the referendum, which was planned for January 1992, for four months due to the dispute over whether the Moroccan list of about 120,000 people it claims are refugees from the territory should be added to the UN's "consolidated list" of 72,000 people who were entitled to vote. | |
| The POLISARIO repeatedly accused Morocco of violating the cease fire by sending warplanes over the Western Sahara, illegally moving people across the borders, strengthening its defenses and intimidating inhabitants of the Western Sahara. | |
| A cease fire came into effect despite accusations by both sides of renewed military activity in the preceding three days. | |
| It became clear that the referendum planned for January, 1992 would be postponed for at least nine months. | |
| The POLISARIO repeatedly accused Morocco of violating the cease fire by sending warplanes which occasionally opened fire over the Western Sahara, illegally moving people across the borders, strengthening its defenses, moving troops into the region and intimidating inhabitants of the Western Sahara. | |
| An agreement was reached between Algerian and Moroccan officials that Algeria would cease its military support for the POLISARIO Front. | |
| The POLISARIO Front protested the inclusion of the Western Sahara in the upcoming Moroccan local and general elections. | |
| Brahim Hakim, a leading member of the POLISARIO Front, defected to Morocco. This and other past and future defections was an indication that there was internal dissension within the organization. | |
| The POLISARIO Front announced new senior leaders. | |
| The POLISARIO Front accused the Moroccans of killing 15 people demonstrating in southern Morocco and injuring even more. They were also accused of arresting and torturing hundreds of demonstrators. | |
| POLISARIO Front defector Brahim Hakim accused the POLISARIO Front of detaining 10,000 Western Saharans. | |
| The POLISARIO Front accused Morocco of arresting 120 demonstrators in Laayoune. | |
| The UN Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 809 calling for a referendum on the self determination of the Western Sahara to be held by the end of the year. | |
| Amnesty International reported that more than 500 Saharawis have disappeared and are being held in Moroccan detention centers. | |
| On the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the POLISARIO Front over 4000 POLISARIO troops marched with tanks and missiles through the desert in a show of strength. | |
| The Association of Families of Saharan Prisoners and Displaced people accused Morocco of arresting dozens of Saharawis. | |
| The first ever direct talks between the POLISARIO Front and the Moroccan government took place. Little was accomplished. | |
| The second round of direct talks failed to take place due to the POLISARIO Front's objection to the inclusion of defectors among the Moroccan delegation. | |
| Morocco planned to invest 340 million Dirhams ($40 million) to build 10,000 houses in the Western Sahara Capital. | |
| THE UN Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 907 calling for further negotiations if the referendum could not be held by the end of 1994. The POLISARIO Front objected to this Resolution and threatened the resumption of hostilities if the referendum was not held. | |
| King Hassan announced that he would grant a general amnesty to all political prisoners except "those who do not recognize that the (Western) Sahara is Moroccan." | |
| A UN force called MINURSO began registering voters in the Western Sahara. | |
| The POLISARIO Front halted work on registering voters in the Western Sahara. This was done as a protest against Morocco's alleged banning of an elderly tribal chief from traveling to refugee camps controlled by the POLISARIO Front to work with the UN identification commissioner. This was an extension of the ongoing dispute over who should be allowed to vote in the upcoming referendum. The POLISARIO Front felt that Morocco was stacking the deck by moving large numbers of Moroccans into the region. The POLISARIO Front resumed work on registration after a few days. | |
| The POLISARIO Front threatened war against Morocco if the referendum did not take place as planned in October. | |
| Saharawis demonstrated demanding an early referendum. The POLISARIO Front claimed that Moroccan forces arrested more than 100 people. A Moroccan military court convicted 8 students who took part in the demonstration on charges of threatening state security and sentenced them to 15 to 20 years in jail. | |
| The POLISARIO Front announced that it was withdrawing its observers and tribal chiefs from the UN-backed peace process because of what they called violations by Morocco. POLISARIO grievances included the settling of about 100,000 Moroccan nationals in the disputed territory as well as the conviction of 8 Sharawi protestors for threatening the state security. Since the process required observers from both sides as well as tribal chiefs, this effectively halted the registration process for the upcoming referendum on independence. | |
| King Hassan reduced the sentences of the 8 Saharawi protestors convicted of threatening the state security to 1 year. | |
| The POLISARIO Front announced that it had decided to resume the peace process. Voter registration resumed within about 2 weeks. | |
| The POLISARIO Front's ambassador to the Canary Islands defected to Morocco. | |
| Reuters reported that the POLISARIO Front had threatened to take up arms again. | |
| The POLISARIO Front said that the European Union was risking future access to Western Saharan waters by accepting Moroccan Sovereignty over those waters in current fish talks. | |
| In a party congress in Algeria, The POLISARIO Front re-elected veteran leader Mohamed Abdelaziz as its head for 4 more years. | |
| Morocco moved a professional soccer team from its national league to the Western Sahara. | |
| POLISARIO has released 185 Moroccan prisoners of war. So far the Moroccan government has refused to take them back. (ABC CLIO) | |
| The UN Mission (Minurso) was given an extension in Western Sahara so that it can continue its work organizing a referendum on self rule. Continued interference by the Moroccan government is being reported and this interference is blamed for the referendum being four years behind schedule. (ABC CLIO) | |
| Former U.S. Secretary of State Howard Baker was appointed special envoy to Western Sahara by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. (ABC CLIO) | |
| POLISARIO met with representatives of the Morocco government for the first time in three years. (ABC CLIO) | |
| All trade continued to be controlled by Morocco and freedom of expression and movement continued to be restricted in Western Sahara (Inter Press Services) | |
| Amnesty International noted that the release of prisoners of conscience going on in Morocco was not happening in Western Sahara. (Independent) | |
| Morocco rejected a compromise of limited autonomy for Western Sahara. (ABC CLIO) | |
| Amnesty International claimed that Morocco had many prisoners of conscience as well as engaged in torture in the Western Sahara. (Africa News, 6/10/97) Morocco was also accused of intimidating potential voters in Western Sahara. (Economist, 6/27/97) | |
| Baker announced referendum talks to be convened in Lisbon on June 23. (ABC CLIO) | |
| Baker said that an agreement had been reached concerning the issue of the identification process of eligible voters for a proposed UN supervised referendum on self rule in the Western Sahara. (ABC CLIO) | |
| A Saharawi man who had been repeatedly arrested was reported to have disappeared. HAMMADA a new association in solidarity with the Saharawi was created in Italy. (Africa News) | |
| The UN special envoy restarted referendum talks based on the UN plans of the previous September. The referendum has not been held yet due to Moroccan stalling according to the news report. (IBCICR guide) | |
| POLISARIO renewed calls for talks with Morocco in the hope that James Baker will be able to break the 21-year deadlock. (Inter Press Service) | |
| UNHRC visited Morocco and called for respect of human rights in Western Sahara. (Africa News) | |
| Moroccan Prime Minister called on all Saharawi citizens to get identified for the referendum. (BBC) | |
| POLISARIO and Morocco agreed to rules for the upcoming referendum. (ABC CLIO) | |
| POLISARIO and Morocco agreed to accept the outcome of the referendum regardless of the results. | |
| An international conference in solidarity with Saharawi women was held in Europe with the Union of Saharawi Women. (Africa News) | |
| US Senate Hearings on the issue of the Saharawi was held and the POLISARIO reaffirmed their commitment to the peace process. (Africa News) | |
| A protest for employment by 100 Saharawi was met by violence from police. (Africa News) | |
| Kofi Annan visited Smara in the Sahara and visited with the Saharawi refugees there. (The Herald) | |
| The United Nations postponed the referendum on Western Sahara from December 1998 to December 1999. The delay was a result of the disagreements between the POLISARIO and Morocco over how the poll will be organized. The Moroccan Prime Minister announced that with or without a poll, Morocco had no intention of leaving the area. Morocco continued the policy of delaying the poll by dragging out the process of identifying who is and who is not a Saharawi. (Manchester Weekly Guardian) | |
| UN announced an agreement between Morocco and the POLISARIO on a July 2000 referendum on the independence of Western Sahara. The identification process was scheduled to resume on 15 June and the appeals process would follow in July. (Africa News) |
Topics: Saharawis,
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