ALGERIA: Western Sahara's exiled Polisario Front independence movement yesterday freed its last 404 Moroccan prisoners of war, many held for almost two decades, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said.
The neutral Geneva-based humanitarian agency said the handover in Tindouf, southwest Algeria, followed mediation by the United States. The freed men were being flown to Morocco to be reunited with their families.
The release could ease tensions between Morocco and Algeria in a region where the West wants stability because of fears it could be a possible source of Islamic militancy.
Over the years the ICRC has repatriated more than 2,000 Moroccan prisoners captured during a 16-year-long guerrilla war with Morocco over the Western Sahara.
A UN-brokered ceasefire was clinched in 1991, ending the conflict with a promise of a referendum on the territory's future but Morocco has refused to allow a vote on self-determination.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern yesterday welcomed the news of the release of the Moroccan prisoners.
