Western Sahara: making haste slowly‐little progress towards the referendum

Abstract

In his report to the UN Security Council on 12 July 1994, UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali stated that he hoped to see a referendum on the future of Western Sahara in February 1995. Activities prior to the vote including the return of Saharawi refugees, a reduction in the Moroccan military presence in the Western Sahara and an exchange of prisoners of war were, he reported, due to start in October 1994. Despite lack of agreement on who could vote in the referendum, it was reported that the voter identification process had been launched. This process was stalled, however, by objections by the Moroccan government to participation by observers from the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Eventually, in September, two OAU observers arrived to take part in the voters' registration process (although the Moroccan government insisted that it recognised them only as 'personal envoys' of the Tunisian president). There were continuing problems throughout the remainder of the year, associated with irregularities and unwarranted interventions by the Moroccan authorities in Moroccan-occupied territory in the voter registration process.