Why America Backtracked: Western Sahara Dossier

Following the U.N. Security Council’s adoption of a new resolution last Thursday — Resolution 2099, which concerns Western Sahara — Rabat wasted no time in asking its media intermediaries in the West to emphasize the virtues and solidity of its strategic relationship with Washington.

Why? In order to minimize the manifest difference of agreement between the two governments regarding the issue of the Sahrawi people. Before a last minute change of heart, the U.S. proposed to grant the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) with a mechanism for monitoring human rights in the region. It was in the interest of the Moroccan sovereign to portray the American initiative as no more than a “small” failure of communication, a failure that the Obama administration had to correct. Yet, the reality is very different. In order to save his skin, King Mohammed VI was reportedly forced to call his friend, Hillary Clinton, to his rescue. The former head of the Department of State, notorious for her pro-Moroccan leanings — her sister, it is well-known, has lived in the country for many years — apparently did not hesitate to intercede in the king’s favor. After reportedly tough negotiations, President Obama ultimately agreed to withdraw the initiative proposed to the Security Council by Susan Rice with the consent of John Kerry, Clinton’s replacement at the Department of State. MINURSO, then, will remain for another year as one of the very few U.N. missions without a human rights remit.

That is far from all. In order to isolate the Americans and therefore shatter any hope of consensus within the Security Council, France, for its part, had mobilized Spain, Togo and Rwanda, among other countries. It was clear to Paris that the Moroccan throne could be at stake over the Western Sahara issue. It is hardly necessary to mention the geostrategic motives that rule out France’s refusal to support its Moroccan ally. One thing is certain. Clinton’s pressure on Obama was not to John Kerry’s favor. Known to be close to the Kennedy family, Kerry is sensitive to the causes that are close to the heart of an American nongovernmental organization, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. There is every indication that, in the near future, he will reaffirm his support for the Kennedy Center’s fight in favor of self-determination for the Sahrawi people.

The Determination of the Kennedy Foundation

Meanwhile, the Kennedy Center has made it clear that it does not intend to let its support for the Sahrawi drop. In a report made public early in the morning on April 25, the Center expressed its “dismay” that despite “incontestable proof” of human rights violations against the Sahrawi by Moroccan troops, the Security Council has “ignored the recommendations of U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez and once again left the Sahrawi without defense.”*

Reality was not slow to vindicate the Kennedy Center. No later than Friday, a manifestation of the Sahrawi was violently repressed by Moroccan forces in occupied El Aaiún, the capital of Western Sahara. In its report, the American nongovernmental organization made sure to call on the Security Council to mobilize the U.N. bodies responsible for the protection of human rights, for monthly visits to occupied Western Sahara to monitor and report on the respect of human rights. King Mohammed VI, undoubtedly having understood that the “war” in Western Sahara was far from won, ordered his party’s politicians and his media to win a more modest victory.

By doing so, the Makhzen is attempting to avoid at all cost a permanent estrangement from the U.S.** After Ross’ failed challenge to Moroccan actions in the region, the row involving Susan Rice and the Security Council, and the Moroccan authorities’ decision to indefinitely delay a joint military exercise, it now seems clear that the Moroccan sovereign does not wish to cause further harm to his position, especially given John Kerry’s reported intention to draw closer to Algeria in the future.*** But according to some sources close to the Obama administration, the damage is already done. The Pentagon’s decision to refuse Rabat’s request to renew joint army maneuvers in Agadir at the end of this month would certainly suggest that this is the case.

*Editor’s Note: This quote, accurately translated, could not be verified.

**Editor’s Note: The Makhzen is the governing elite in Morocco.

***Editor’s Note: Christopher Ross is the U.N. envoy to Western Sahara.