Military

24 February 2004 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan hailed today's release by the Frente POLISARIO group in Western Sahara of another 100 Moroccan prisoners-of-war.

The prisoners were repatriated to Morocco by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), less than two weeks after Frente POLISARIO (Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro) released another batch of 100 prisoners.

In a statement issued by his spokesman in New York, Mr. Annan said he hoped Frente POLISARIO would quickly release all of its remaining prisoners-of-war in accordance with Security Council resolutions and international humanitarian law.

"He also urges the parties to continue to cooperate with the ICRC to resolve the fate of all those unaccounted for since the beginning of the conflict," the statement read.

Frente POLISARIO and Morocco have had a long-running dispute over the future status of Western Sahara. The UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) has been in place since April 1991.