The proposal advanced by Baker is that Morocco relinquishes some control over the Western Sahara, in return for Polisario giving up their demand for independence and accepting some form of devolution. The UN has had a peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara since a cessation of military conflict was negotiated in 1991. It is based in neighbouring Algeria, where an estimated 165,000 Saharwis are housed in four camps of mud-brick and canvas. Many have been living in these camps for the past 25 years since Morocco marched into Western Sahara and proclaimed its sovereignty, sparking 16 years of fighting. Conditions in the camps are described as some of the harshest in the world, with temperatures reaching 50 degrees centigrade in the summer.
Water has to be brought in by tankers.
Western Sahara, an area larger than Britain, is mainly desert with a population of about 245,000 concentrated in a few towns. It is defended against the Polisario by tens of thousands of Moroccan troops behind a defensive wall of sand, about 1,500 miles long. James Baker's concern is to stop a possible re-emergence of fighting as Polisario leaders recently announced they intend to abandon the ceasefire. Morocco's stability is of key importance to the US, not only for its mineral wealth but as a major supporter of American interests in the Middle East. Military conflict in Western Sahara could easily ignite social unrest throughout Morocco.