In Morroco, Tensions Over Western Sahara Are Heightening

By Worldview
Demonstrators wave Moroccan flags during a protest in Paris, Sunday, March 20, 2016. The United States is declaring its support for the threatened U.N. peacekeeping mission in the disputed territory of Western Sahara after Morocco took steps to reduce its size and terminate $3 million in funding.
Demonstrators wave Moroccan flags during a protest in Paris, Sunday, March 20, 2016. The United States is declaring its support for the threatened U.N. peacekeeping mission in the disputed territory of Western Sahara after Morocco took steps to reduce its size and terminate $3 million in funding. Christophe Ena / AP Photo
Demonstrators wave Moroccan flags during a protest in Paris, Sunday, March 20, 2016. The United States is declaring its support for the threatened U.N. peacekeeping mission in the disputed territory of Western Sahara after Morocco took steps to reduce its size and terminate $3 million in funding.
Demonstrators wave Moroccan flags during a protest in Paris, Sunday, March 20, 2016. The United States is declaring its support for the threatened U.N. peacekeeping mission in the disputed territory of Western Sahara after Morocco took steps to reduce its size and terminate $3 million in funding. Christophe Ena / AP Photo

In Morroco, Tensions Over Western Sahara Are Heightening

By Worldview
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Western Sahara is a territory that’s been in dispute since Spain unofficially decolonized the region in 1975. Mostly controlled by Morocco, a third of the country is currently controlled by the Polisario Front, a group seeking independence. 

As the UN renews its 25 year peacekeeping mission in the area, the Moroccan government is cracking down on media and civil society in both Morocco and Western Sahara.

We get some background and an update on the turmoil with David McKean, Asia program officer for Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and Madeleine Bair, program manager of the human rights organization, WITNESS. The group utilizes video from citizen journalists to get news surrounding Western Sahara.