Dozens of United Nations international staffers pulled out of their Western Sahara mission on Sunday after Morocco demanded they leave because of remarks by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about the disputed territory, Reuters reported today.
The demand for withdrawal came three days ago, and Morocco says this was a response to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's "unacceptable" remarks concerning Western Sahara's political state.
Ban drew the criticism of Rabat earlier this month when he visited refugee camps in southern Algeria for the Sahrawi people, who say Western Sahara belongs to them and who fought a war against Morocco until the 1991 cease-fire brokered by the U.N. He also referred to Western Sahara as "occupied", which caused Morocco to accuse him of being impartial in the conflict.
Western Sahara was a Spanish colony until 1975, when the Franco dictatorship fell. Morocco then occupied and annexed the region.
After the cease-fire was put in place, the U.N. created the MINURSO peacekeeping mission. The mission currently has 242 military personnel, 84 international civilian staff, 157 national staff and 12 volunteers.
A Moroccan official source said 73 U.N. staffers had left, 10 would leave in the afternoon and one would remain for now. The source added the 84th staff member would stay for now because she is pregnant, according to Reuters.
Morocco said it would also stop its voluntary contribution to the mission estimated at US$3 million (out of $53 million), according to the U.N.
The Polisario Front of the Sahrawi, which fought against Morocco until the 1991 cease-fire, wants a referendum on independence, but Rabat said it will only allow autonomy.