In Western Sahara, a conflict between the Moroccan army and the Polisario independence movement threatens to escalate. According to Morocco, which controls most of the area, Polisario fighters are guilty of criminal activity there.
The Moroccan government says Polisario is harassing UN observers and holding back trucks. Trucks would also have been shot at.
Moroccan soldiers are trying to end the blockade in order to restore free passage between the Moroccan and Mauritanian parts of Western Sahara. According to a government spokesman, it is not an offensive action.
‘Aggressive act of Morocco’
But a senior Polisario official says it is an aggressive act and that it marks the end of the 30-year-old truce in the area.
Morocco controls most of Western Sahara. Polisario controls a number of sparsely populated areas. UN observers monitor compliance with the truce from a buffer zone.
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