The leader of a pro-independence group in Western Sahara, Brahma Ghali, declared war on Morocco on Saturday, violating a decades-long ceasefire, the New York Times reported.
Why it’s important: The declaration could rule out armed struggle and escalate years of animosity between Morocco and its neighbor Algeria, which hosts the independence group, the Polisario Front.
- The Times writes that the ongoing conflict “has taken control of about 100 percent of the disputed territory of Morocco, leaving thousands of Saharawis living in a state of prolonged displacement near the Algerian town of Tindoufana.”
Big picture: The conflict broke out a day after Morocco launched a military operation in a patrol buffer zone in the region by Morocco to open a roadblock blocked by police supporters.
- Rising tensions between the groups have also raised concerns in the UN, the African Union and North African countries and the Middle East, according to the Times.
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement on Friday that he was “committed to making every effort possible to remove all obstacles to the resumption of the political process.”
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