Sara Ocidental, uma questão por resolver

"On November 8, Moroccan occupation forces attacked a tent city of as many as 12,000 Western Saharans just outside of Al Aioun, in the culminating act of a months-long protest of discrimination against the indigenous Sahrawi population and worsening economic conditions. Not only was the scale of the crackdown unprecedented, so was the popular reaction: In a dramatic departure from the almost exclusively nonviolent protests of recent years, the local population turned on their occupiers, engaging in widespread rioting and arson." - Stephen Zunes

The turn to violence has attracted rare attention to Morocco's long-standing occupation of Western Sahara, and the stalement despite continuing UN efforts to promote negotiations. Western Sahara, not Morocco, is a member of the African Union. But Morocco's Western allies, particularly France and the United States, have declined to pressure Morocco to engage in serious negotiations. Although there is a UN peacekeeping mission, the mission's mandate includes no human rights component.

This AfricaFocus Bulletin contains several updates, from the United Nations and from the International Federation of Journalists, as long as an analytical article by Stephen Zunes published by OpenDemocracy (http://www.opendemocracy.org). Zunes is co-author, with Jacob Mundy, of the recent book on the Saharan conflict entitled Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution.