The pro-independence movement of Western Sahara has expressed disappointment that a new U.N. draft resolution on the territory is not strong enough on human rights.
The Polisario Front said Tuesday the resolution that renews a United Nations mandate for peacekeepers in Western Sahara should have set up an international body to monitor human rights abuses by Morocco.
Morocco’s 1975 annexation of the former Spanish colony sparked a war between Moroccan forces and Polisario insurgents,
The draft resolution calls on both sides of the dispute to respect human rights and welcomes a pledge by Morocco to allow the U.N. Human Rights Council access to the area.
The Polisario Front is demanding that a referendum be held to decide the fate of the mineral-rich northwest African territory. Morocco has offered a limited autonomy to the region. Peace talks are deadlocked.
