The US decision to recognize Morocco’s full sovereignty over its Sahara should provide a strong impetus to efforts to find a solution to the Sahara issue under the Moroccan autonomy plan, said Erik Jansen, former head of MINURSO. “President Trump’s decision to recognize Moroccan sovereignty (over the Sahara) has provided a fundamental game-changing move by committing the United States,” Jansen who served as Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the Sahara in the nineties told MAP. He deemed that the US decision “inevitably provides an impetus” to resolving this regional dispute. Since then, numerous states have responded, providing visible signs of their support by opening consular offices in Morocco’s Southern provinces, Jansen added. Jansen’s five-year mandate as Special Representative of the UN Secretary General to the Sahara has enabled him to better understand the ins and outs of this conflict.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 19, 2020 00:33 UTC