ECJ rules EU-Morocco trade deals invalid in Western Sahara

The entrance to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg on January 26, 2017. Reuters

The European Court of Justice ruled on Friday that the European Commission had breached the right of people in Western Sahara to self-determination by concluding trade deals with Morocco.

Western Sahara, a tract of desert the size of Britain, has been the scene of Africa's longest-running territorial dispute since colonial power Spain left in 1975 and Morocco annexed the territory.