The Polisario Front and its ally Algeria continue to cling to the 1974 Spanish census as the sole basis for holding a self-determination referendum in Western Sahara, overlooking the major shifts that have since occurred within the United Nations framework. For years, UN Security Council resolutions have made no reference to the settlement plan based on this census, instead calling for a realistic, practical, and mutually acceptable political solution. But what’s the story behind this
Could Algeria persuade the Polisario Front to soften its stance on the Western Sahara issue? That's the suggestion put forward by an American think tank closely aligned with Israel, yet sympathetic to Algeria’s interests in the United States.
After repeated efforts by Brussels to persuade Algeria’s top leadership to lift sanctions on European companies ended in failure, the European Union has moved to initiate arbitration proceedings. Taken aback, Algiers expressed its «surprise» at the EU’s decision on Thursday.
After losing several of the Polisario’s traditional allies across Africa, Algeria is eager to prevent South Africa from taking the same path. In response to Jacob Zuma’s recent stance on the Western Sahara issue, Algerian authorities have sent envoys to Pretoria.