Western Sahara’s Polisario Front rebels on May 2 condemned the UN Security Council for not including human rights in resolution 1920, extending by one year the mandate of the UN mission for the Morocco-occupied territory, MINURSO. But in a victory for Morocco, the text makes no mention of any explicit mechanism to monitor allegations of human rights violations. “Unfortunately, we believe this is a scandal for the credibility of the United Nations and the Security Council,” Polisario Front’s Mohamed Abdelaziz told AFP at a refugee camp for Western Sahara refugees in Algeria.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon did tell Mohamed Abdelaziz days ahead of the vote that he is worried about alleged violations of human rights in the resource-rich territory. After the meeting, the UN press office said in a statement that Ban had expressed his commitment to finding a solution to the 35-year-old conflict “that provides for the self determination for the people of Western Sahara.” (AFP, VOA, May 3; Reuters, April 23)
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