On Thursday, it has been reported that Jordan established a consulate in the disputed Western Sahara region. Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi were present at the inauguration ceremony of the diplomatic mission located in Laayoune, the largest city of Western Sahara. After the UAE and Bahrain, Jordan became the third Arab country to have a diplomatic mission in the Sahara region.
The number of foreign missions in the disputed region reached 19; 11 of them in Laayoune and the rest in Dakhla, another city located in the disputed region. It is seen that the Arab countries’ engagement towards the region has increased recently. Apart from this, it has been observed that accelerated activities of the Polisario movement, which pursues a policy towards ending Morrocco’s presence in Western Sahara and makes calls for self-determination.
After Spanish withdrawal from the region, Western Sahara has constituted one of the main sources of conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front for more than four decades. Despite the two sides inking an UN-backed ceasefire in 1991, the Polisario’s armed struggle was observed to be revived last year.
