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What happened next?Continue in this file · Moroccan Sahara: from the roots of the conflict to the 2026 negotiations
File · Moroccan Sahara: from the roots of the conflict to the 2026 negotiations

Polisario withdrawal from Guerguerat ends a phase of the standoff

On 28 April 2017, the UN announced the withdrawal of Polisario elements from Guerguerat in the southern Moroccan Sahara, following Morocco’s withdrawal announced on 26 February.

MINURSO observers confirmed the departure of Polisario elements on 27–28 April. The standoff had developed in 2016 around the road crossing the buffer strip towards Mauritania.

The same day, resolution 2351 extended the mission until 30 April 2018 and supported renewed negotiations. It noted that the crisis raised fundamental questions about the ceasefire and related agreements. Local de-escalation therefore settled neither the political dispute nor all questions about permitted activities in the area.

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What happened before?Continue in this file · Moroccan Sahara: from the roots of the conflict to the 2026 negotiations