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Peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara: MINURSO

What the MINURSO doing in Western Sahara

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Peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara: MINURSO

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  1. MINURSOROLE, RESPONSIBILITY, RESULTS Col. JÁNOS BESENYŐ (PhD)

  2. AGENDA • Some facts about Western-Sahara (Geography, climate, economy, society, and History) • MINURSO • Military Agreements • Structure, Organisation • Current situation – possible future

  3. CURRENT SITUATION The Front Polisario Military Forces are organized into Military Regions of supposedly battalion strength focusing on show of force, observing and collecting intelligence, using hit and run actions, guerilla tactics, and using Algeria as a sanctuary.The Polisario has a light infantry force with little or no heavy weapons.Their equipment is mostly former Soviet and captured Moroccan weapons and vehicles. The Royal Moroccan Army has a static defense lay-out organized on 698 defensive strong points on the berm. Intervention units are dislocated of 3 – 8 km from there and logistics elements are located in the towns of Laayoune, Dakhla and Smara. The main task of the RMA is to monitor the Polisario side register everything. The equipment of the RMA is mainly modern American and French weapons.

  4. „BERM”

  5. MINURSO MANDATE • Monitor the ceasefire; • Verify the reduction of Moroccan troops in the Territory; • Monitor the confinement of Moroccan and Frente POLISARIO troops to designated locations; • Take steps with the parties to ensure the release of all Western Saharan political prisoners or detainees; • Oversee the exchange of prisoners of war; • Implement the repatriation programme; • Identify and register qualified voters; • Organize and ensure a free and fair referendum and proclaim the results.

  6. SETTLEMENT PLAN • Phases: • Ceasefire • Identification • Appeals • Confidence building • Return of refugees • Referendum • Proclamation of the result • Planned strength of MINURSO: • 800-1000 civilian • 1700 military • 300 police • the referendum in Western Sahara should have taken place in January 1992.

  7. MINURSO TIMETABLE • 29. Apr1991: Establish of MINURSO (SC resolution 690) • 24 May 1991: proposed the ceasefire by the Secretary-General • 06 Sept1991 : Ceasefire – 100 observers deployed • 1992: 228 observers, logistic and administartive support elements - Mission (Laayoune) and Sector Headquaters (Smara/North and Dakhla/South), ad liaison office (Tindouf) established • 1992: independence referendum was originally scheduled but failed • May 1993: Identification Commission was established • August 1994: Identification process begun • May 1996:Boutros Ghali suspended the identification process and most MINURSO civilian staff were withdrawn, including the police component • Sept 1997: The Houston Accords (S/1997/742) • December 1997:Kofi A. Annan restarted the identification process • end of 1999: the identification process completed

  8. MINURSO TIMETABLE • January 2000: MINURSO accepts as Sahrawis 86 381 candidates of total of 198 469 • 14 May 2000: Baker"Third Way„ Framework Agreement plan • 22 June 2001: UN Framework Agreement plan - only autonomy, not independence • 15 January 2002: IDC staff was substantially affected by a downsizing • 2003 - Confidence Building Measures - Telephone Service, Family Visits, Mail Service, Seminars • Aug 2003: SETTLEMENT PLAN ( II. BAKER PLAN) • End of 2003: IDC centre closed – documents collected and sent to Geneva • June 2004 BAKER PLAN failed, Baker resigned • 2005: Reduction of MINURSO • May 2005: tensions between Sahrawis and Moroccan police in Western Sahara – „Sahrawi Intifada” • March 2006: Moroccan offer, limited variant of autonomy to the Territory - Demonstrations and protests by Sahrawis

  9. MINURSO TIMETABLE • 2007: Manhasset/New York talks • 2007: Morocco requested U.N. action against a congress to be held by the Polisario Front in Tifariti from December 14 to December 16 - Tifariti is part of a buffer zone • 2008, 2009, 2010: further informal meetings between the parties without any result • 2009: U.S. Sec. of State Hillary Rodham Clinton reaffirms U.S. policy in support of Morocco’s autonomy initiative. • October 2010: Gadaym Izik camp was set up near Laayoune – 12 000 people • November 2010: Moroccan security forces entered Gadaym Izik camp – renewed fighting (Laayoune, Smara, Dakhla, etc.) between Sahrawis and Moroccan forces • Marc 2011: New Moroccan way -“advanced decentralization” project - aim to give all provinces of Morocco a degree of self-government. This is not an autonomy! • Febr. 2013: UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Méndez’s final report • April 2013: Morocco cancels joint military exercises with the US over Washington's backing for UN monitoring of human rights in Western Sahara. Morocco calls the proposed monitoring an attack on its sovereignty.

  10. ORGANISATIONAL CHART

  11. IDENTIFICATION COMMISSION • The Identification Commission was established, as part of MINURSO, by the Security Council resolution 690 on April 1991 following the recommendation of the Secretary General presenting the settlement proposals of 1988 in doc S/21360 (1990) later updated in doc S/22464 (1991). The IDC mandate derives from the terms of reference that have been specified in the Secretary-General Report S/26185 dated 28July 1993, Annexes I, II and III.  Documents S/22464 and S/21360 are referred to as the Settlement plan. • Mandate: • Update the 1974 Spanish census list. • Establish the final list of voters (Identification and appeals • Plays a role in the organization and conduct the Referendum in the Territory under SRSG directives (issue of voters cards etc. ), to enable the people of Western Sahara to choose freely between independence and integration with Morocco

  12. Units ID – COMMISSION ORGANISATION

  13. ACOMODATION UNIT LIAISON OFFICE & GS-MAINTENANCE UNIT RECEIVING & INSPECTION UNIT PROPERTY CONTROL & INVENTORY UNIT CLAIMS & SURVEY UNIT POUCH-MAIL SHIPPING & TRAVEL UNIT CENTRAL SUPPLY DEPO. ASSET DISPOSAL UNIT CIVILIAN ADMINISTRATION SRSG Head of Mission ADMINISTRATION COMMUNICATIONS& INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECTION BUILDING MANAGEMENT & ENGINEERING SECTION GENERAL SERVICE SECTION TRANSPORT SECTION PROCUREMENT SECTION FINANCE SECTION PERSONNEL SECTION ASU ASO

  14. CIVPOL • To provide registration and the opportunity to vote for anybody who would like to participate at the referendum deciding about the future of the territory, after presenting their legal documents. • To take a photograph and fingerprints of the eligible voters in order to simplify their identification later. • To escort tribal leaders and all people who supported the work of the UN, preparing the referendum. • To protect personnel and facilities. • To collect the documents processed during the identification process and to transport them to Tinduf and Laayoun and finally to the UN centre in Genova (346,000 documents were transported to Genova by the end of December 2003). • To provide escort for the finance officers transporting the salary of the UN employees and the military observers and the security of the venues of payment.

  15. CIVPOL • To organise joint patrols together with the military observers in the region of Laayoune and Tinduf. • To participate in military observer training (driving in the desert, navigation- and GPS-training). • To plan the establishement of the police forces of Western Sahara having received autonomy, their training and checking they comply with the democratic norms. • To assist the work of the security service and to accomplish other tasks requiring security technological experience and police expertise. • To give advice in police and security policy issues for both the military and civilian leadeship of the mission. • To participate in the repatriation programme. • To conduct investigation of disciplinary and criminal cases in MINURSO in co-operation with the local authorities. • To co-operate with the UNHCR in refugee matters.

  16. CIVPOL

  17. MILITARY COMPONENT • Observers, Medical Unit and Clerks • Tasks: • to monitor the ceasefire, • to show the UN presence in the desert, • mark mines/minefields and unexploded munitions (UXOs) • found in the area of responsibility and exchange such and other information with the parties and establish good contact with the parties. • ground patrols - 470 – 500 ground patrols/month, with a distance of more than 100.000 km and 9.500 man/hours • helicopter reconnaissance - 40 – 45/ month • Team-sites: living and working conditions - 14 - 20 Observers, 24-hours per day operations, Ground Patrols (2 per day), Air Recce (1 - 3 per week), Camp Operations/Maintenance, Re-supply, Admin/Support – Escorts, Joint Patrols with RMA/FPOL, Observe exercises

  18. CAMP MEHAIRES - NORTH SECTOR

  19. MILITARY AGREEMENT 1 • Military Agreement 1: was signed between the MINURSO and the Royal Moroccan Army (December 1997) as well as the Front Polisario (January 1998) to maintain military status quo, to define activities forbidden and required request/notification, to establish procedure for investigating violations and to define rights of UNMOs.

  20. MILITARY AGREEMENT 2-3 • The Military Agreement 2 with the Polisario was signed in April 1999 andMilitary Agreement 3 with the RMA was signed in March 1999. • The aim ofthese Agreements is • to reduce danger from mines and UXOs, • to exchange ofinformation • and mark/destroy previously known and newly discovered mines andUXOs.

  21. FACTS AND FIGURES • Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of Mission: Wolfgang Weisbrod-Weber (Germany) • Force Commander: Major General Imam Edy Mulyono (Indonesia) • Strength: • 237 military personnel • 6 police officers • 96 international civilian personnel* • 166 local civilian staff • 15 United Nations Volunteers • Contributing Countries: Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chad, China, Croatia, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Malawi, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Sri Lanka, Togo, Uruguay and Yemen. • Approved budget (1 July 2013 - 30 June 2014): $60,475,700

  22. PROBLEMS – POSSIBLE FUTURE • MINURSO is a „Sleeping mission” - Stabilization the only result! – „the status quo is much more tolerable than the frightening futures that might result from prioritizing a solution over stability” (Jacob Mundy) • MINURSO is the only UN peacekeeping mission established since 1978 to be operating without the capacity to monitor human rights – Frank Ruddy case -Human rights is not part of the MINURSO mandate! • Migration routes trough mission area, smuggling, etc. • AQIM and other radicals presence in the region • STATUS QUO – ‘neither war nor peace’ - extend MINURSO mandate time to time • Referendum based on BAKER II. PLAN, Western-Sahara become part of Morocco, reduced Autonomy - Polisario has repeatedly threatened to resume fighting if no breakthrough occurs • Future: • INDEPENDENCE? Divide WS (new idea)? • High tension (POLISARIO) - open a war – defeat

  23. SOURCES • János Besenyő: Peacekeeping mission in Maghreb: The MINURSO – Tradecraft Review, Periodical of the Military National Security Service, 2012, 1. Special Issue, pp. 125-144, http://knbsz.gov.hu/hu/letoltes/szsz/2012_1_spec.pdf and https://figshare.com/articles/Peacekeeping_mission_in_Maghreb_The_MINURSO/7021922 • János Besenyő: Western Sahara, Publikon Publishers, Pécs, 2009, 197 p, ISBN: 978-963-88332-0-4, http://mek.oszk.hu/12900/12953/12953.pdf • János Besenyő: Hungarian logistics specialist working for UN’s Western Sahara mission – AARMS (Miklós Zrínyi National Defence University), Volume 7, Issue 1. 2008, pp. 155-156, https://figshare.com/articles/Hungarian_logistics_specialist_working_for_UN_s_Western_Sahara_mission/7015301 • János Besenyő: The Occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco and Mauritania –Periodical of the Scientificboard of Military Security Office, 2010, Special Issue, pp. 76-94, http://knbsz.gov.hu/hu/letoltes/szsz/2010_1_spec.pdf • Guerrilla Operations in Western Sahara: The Polisario versus Morocco and Mauritania, Connections: The Quarterly Journal (ISSN: 1812-1098) Vol. 16: (No. 3. Summer 2017) pp. 23-45. (2017), http://connections-qj.org/article/guerrilla-operations-western-sahara-polisario-versus-morocco-and-mauritania

  24. QUESTONS? THANKS YOUR KIND ATTENTION!

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