UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon said here Monday that he is "deeply concerned" about the failing health of a Saharawi independence activist who went on hunger strike last month after Morocco denied her entry into her native Western Sahara.
Ban told his monthly press conference here that during his meeting with Moroccan Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri on Friday he urged for the return of Aminatou Haidar.
"I hope that the foreign minister of Morocco will discuss this matter inside his country,"
said Ban. "I expressed my very serious concern about her health on humanitarian grounds."
Haider began her hunger strike at the airport at Lanzarote, on Spain's Canary Islands, after being denied entry into Western Sahara by Morocco. According to reports, Haidar, 42, has
consumed only sugared water since Nov. 16.
Ban said her health is his primary concern.
"She has been staging this hunger strike for over 25 or 26 days, " he said. "I am told that
her health situation is deteriorating."
Last week, Ban also met with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos and emphasized that a solution needed to be found with the "utmost urgency," according to UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky.
The territory of Western Sahara is the subject of a long- running dispute between
Morocco and Spain. Morocco took control of the coastal region after the end of Spanish
colonialism in 1975. With the support of Algeria, ethnic Saharawi fought for independence.
While a 1991 cease-fire ended the war, the political dispute continues.
Ban said the United Nations must do more to expedite negotiations between Spain and Morocco.
A UN mission in Western Sahara, known as MINURSO, is entrusted with monitoring the
cease-fire agreement and organizing a referendum based on self-determination.