Congress' human rights panel is taking a rare look this week at US ally Morocco's controversial record in the disputed Western Sahara.

The March 23 hearing by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission comes as the 25-year-old UN mission to set up a referendum in the resource-rich area is set to expire next month barring another extension. Morocco announced last week that it was ending its $3 million contribution to the mission after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the country's presence an "occupation," which sparked a mass protest in Rabat. 

"For far too long the native peoples have had their rights of self-determination put on hold, while numerous other internationally recognized human rights have been violated by Morocco’s occupation," commission co-chairman Joe Pitts, R-Penn., told Al-Monitor in an e-mail. "The Moroccan Government’s latest row with the Secretary General of the United Nations demonstrates the unattainable posture of the Kingdom. A resolution can only come with a spirit of cooperation, transparency and engagement — the hearing hopes to play a role towards that end, and I hope the State Department will decide to participate on Wednesday."

The conflict dates back to 1975, when Morocco annexed what it refers to as its "southern province" following the withdrawal of occupying power Spain. Rabat has offered autonomy to the region, but a number of the native Sahrawi inhabitants living in refugee camps in Algeria want a referendum on independence.