LAAYOUNE, 1 Jun - (ANA) - The leader of the Western Sahara independence movement has died after a long illness. Mohamed Abdelaziz, 68, was secretary-general of the Polisario Front, which fights for independence in the former Spanish colony. The front has declared 40 days of mourning after which it said a new secretary-general will be chosen. The UN has long been trying to broker a settlement for the region's future. However, the conflict is currently deadlocked over a dispute about a referendum on self-determination. Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika declared a week of mourning for the Polisario leader, who died in hospital in Algeria after leading the group based in the southern Algerian city of Tindouf for almost 40 years. Morocco considers Western Sahara to be its "southern provinces", but Algeria and many other African countries recognise the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic declared by the Polisario Front. Morocco is not a member of the African Union because the organisation recognises the Polisario Front. The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, proclaimed independence in 1976. The Moroccan government has proposed wide-ranging autonomy for the region, but the Polisario Front wants self-determination through a referendum for the local population.(ANA)

FA/ANA/1 June 2016----------