Morocco celebrates 51st anniversary of Western Sahara takeover as UN mission ends
In Laayoune, Morocco marks the Green March’s 51st anniversary as the UN peacekeeping mission MINURSO’s mandate ends, signaling a shift in the long-running Western Sahara dispute. The celebration emphasizes Morocco’s view of Western Sahara as an integral part of its territory, while Sahrawi independence supporters see it as the start of dispossession and displacement. The expiry of MINURSO underscores a stalled referendum and fragile ceasefire that have defined the conflict for decades. Morocco seeks autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty, a plan opposed by the Polisario Front backed by Algeria and Russia. The next phase will hinge on regional diplomacy, development outcomes, and the persistence of family separations across the berm.
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The Green March began on November 6, 1975, when King Hassan II urged Moroccans to enter Spanish-controlled Western Sahara, a pivotal moment framing Morocco’s claim to most of the territory.
Laayoune, the largest city under Moroccan control, hosted public celebrations with flags, portraits of the king, and police presence, reflecting national narratives around the anniversary.
The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria and Russia, maintains that the territory’s people must decide independence via referendum, opposing Morocco’s autonomy proposal under sovereignty.
MINURSO, established in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire and organize a referendum, saw its mandate expire on October 31, with visits that once reunited divided families suspended since 2014.
Morocco argues the development drive—roads, ports, industrial projects, and renewable energy—has improved living standards in the territory, even as residents report ongoing economic pressures and job access challenges.
The UN still lists Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory, underscoring the international community’s unresolved decolonization mandate amid shifting regional alliances.