Western Sahara (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic)
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, also known as Western Sahara, is a fledgling republic in exile that claims the land in the southernmost provinces of Morocco. Having gained independence in 1975 from the Spanish, it was quickly annexed by Morocco, and a long, bloody war ravaged the Western Sahara during the 1990s. As of this year, the SADR has gained international recognition from a total of 82 sovereign states, but Morocco and its allies in the West and the Arab League threaten the integrity of the SADR's statehood.
The major issues facing the SADR are directly pertinent to the survival of the SADR as the governing body of Western Sahara. The current headquarters of the SADR are located in Tindouf in Algeria, not in the Western Sahara; similarly, the headquarters of the military branch of the SADR, the Polisario Front, are located in northern Mauritania. In order to better control the land ceded to the SADR at the end of the war in the 1990s (all of the land to the east and south of the berm or the Moroccan defensive wall that divides the Moroccan-controlled and administered majority of Western Sahara from the SADR-administered area), the SADR should consider relocating its capital and attempting to regain control over the land of occupied Western Sahara. Since the Second Sahrawi Intifada (a series of mass protests in Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara) in 2005, the Gdiem Izik protests, and the Arab Spring-inspired protests in 2011, no major protests, revolutions, or intifadaat (uprisings) have occurred. With the Moroccan economy in a relatively bad place, now is an oppurtune time to start a third intifada sahrawiyya, a third Sahrawi uprising.
Once, or if, independence is attained, there is a slew of other burdens that any new state, including the SADR, would need to overcome. Writing a working constitution, gaining widespread international recognition, and ensuring peace and stability in and around the new state are all major priorities, before, and definitely after gaining independence.
As the ministers of the President's cabinet, it is your job to solve all of these issues and any others that may surface as the simulation progresses.
Topics for BUAMUN 2015:
The major issues facing the SADR are directly pertinent to the survival of the SADR as the governing body of Western Sahara. The current headquarters of the SADR are located in Tindouf in Algeria, not in the Western Sahara; similarly, the headquarters of the military branch of the SADR, the Polisario Front, are located in northern Mauritania. In order to better control the land ceded to the SADR at the end of the war in the 1990s (all of the land to the east and south of the berm or the Moroccan defensive wall that divides the Moroccan-controlled and administered majority of Western Sahara from the SADR-administered area), the SADR should consider relocating its capital and attempting to regain control over the land of occupied Western Sahara. Since the Second Sahrawi Intifada (a series of mass protests in Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara) in 2005, the Gdiem Izik protests, and the Arab Spring-inspired protests in 2011, no major protests, revolutions, or intifadaat (uprisings) have occurred. With the Moroccan economy in a relatively bad place, now is an oppurtune time to start a third intifada sahrawiyya, a third Sahrawi uprising.
Once, or if, independence is attained, there is a slew of other burdens that any new state, including the SADR, would need to overcome. Writing a working constitution, gaining widespread international recognition, and ensuring peace and stability in and around the new state are all major priorities, before, and definitely after gaining independence.
As the ministers of the President's cabinet, it is your job to solve all of these issues and any others that may surface as the simulation progresses.
Topics for BUAMUN 2015:
- Establishing the legitimacy of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic as the sole governing body of Western Sahara
- Incorporation of the Polisario Front into the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic's army
- Repopulation of occupied Sahrawi territory; attracting refugees back to Western Sahara
Meet the Staff
Dheekshita Kumar ('16), Chair ([email protected])
Dheekshita Kumar is a junior at Boston University Academy. She has participated in Model UN since her freshman year. Last year she attended two large conferences, in one of which she received outstanding delegate. At BUAMUN last year, she was vice-chair in Security Council. In her free time, she enjoys singing with her friends, playing the piano, composing, and playing basketball. With the best vice chair, joint-crisis chairs, and joint crisis director, Dheekshita is sure that BUAMUN III is going surpass the previous years, so she's pumped!
Dheekshita Kumar is a junior at Boston University Academy. She has participated in Model UN since her freshman year. Last year she attended two large conferences, in one of which she received outstanding delegate. At BUAMUN last year, she was vice-chair in Security Council. In her free time, she enjoys singing with her friends, playing the piano, composing, and playing basketball. With the best vice chair, joint-crisis chairs, and joint crisis director, Dheekshita is sure that BUAMUN III is going surpass the previous years, so she's pumped!
Alex Perry ('16), Vice-Chair
Alex Perry is a junior at Boston University Academy. This will be his second year participating in Model UN and in BUAMUN. Last year he was a part of the Tiananmen Square Crisis staff. In his time away from Model UN, Alex also enjoys acting and playing the trombone. Alex is excited to work at BUAMUN again, and can’t wait to be a part of the best crisis yet.
Alex Perry is a junior at Boston University Academy. This will be his second year participating in Model UN and in BUAMUN. Last year he was a part of the Tiananmen Square Crisis staff. In his time away from Model UN, Alex also enjoys acting and playing the trombone. Alex is excited to work at BUAMUN again, and can’t wait to be a part of the best crisis yet.
| JCC: Western Sahara |
