Rabat has entered the new year with renewed impetus to cement its decades-old sovereignty claims to Western Sahara, which Morocco has occupied since the withdrawal of former colonial power Spain in 1975.
Morocco controls about 80% of the sparsely-populated territory, including the entire 1,110km Atlantic coastline. The Polisario Front controls the remaining 20%, separated by a 2,700km sand wall known as the berm (see map). Algiers is the most vocal international opponent of Moroccan “occupation,” supporting – and hosting – the Polisario Front, which has for decades sought an independent state for the indigenous Sahrawi people. (CONTINUED - 1645 WORDS)
