MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th November, 2020) The Spanish Foreign Ministry released a statement on Friday calling upon the warring parties in the Western Sahara conflict zone to cease fire and resume dialogue in line with UN Security Council resolutions.
Earlier in the day, armed hostilities began between Moroccan government forces and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), a partially recognized political entity in Western Sahara controlled by a movement known as the Polisario Front.
"The Spanish government supports the efforts of UN Secretary General for guaranteeing the observance of ceasefire supervised by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara [MINURSO]," the statement read.
The foreign ministry called upon the conflict parties to "return to the negotiation table and proceed to a political, fair and long-term solution" in line with UN Security Council resolutions.
The statement also emphasized the importance of stability in the region described as strategic.
Earlier on Friday, SADR ambassador in Algeria Abd al-Qadir Talib Omar told Sputnik that Morocco had launched attacks and violated the 1991 ceasefire, with the United Nations bearing part of responsibility for its continuous reluctance to call out the attacks. Morocco, in turn, has claimed it was left with no choice but to confront the Polisario Front due to the movement's unceasing attacks on Moroccan civilian and cargo vehicles, as well as the obstruction of work of the MINURSO.
In a statement conveyed via UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed "grave concerns" over the escalation and warned of possible consequences in the case if the sides fail to resume the truce.
Western Sahara used to be a Spanish colony in Africa's northwest before it was partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in 1975. The SADR, located in the Moroccan section, declared independence in 1976, and a war with Morocco followed.
It was not until 1991 that the sides agreed to a ceasefire, with MINURSO established to monitor it. The SADR has been recognized by 84 UN member states.
The armed hostilities in the current escalation have unfolded in the SADR-controlled buffer zone named Guerguerat.
