Western Sahara conflict

The Western Sahara conflict is a dispute over sovereignty and self-determination involving Morocco, the Polisario Front, and the Sahrawi people. It has included armed conflict, diplomacy, and a long-running United Nations mission.

Polisario Front: A Sahrawi national liberation movement and political organization that seeks Western Sahara’s independence. It fought Morocco and represents the independence claim in negotiations.
Spanish Sahara: The territory in northwestern Africa administered by Spain until its withdrawal in 1976. Spanish rule ended without settling who would govern the territory.
Sahrawi people: A people indigenous to Western Sahara and neighboring areas, with a distinct Hassaniya-speaking culture. Their political status and right to self-determination lie at the dispute’s center.
Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara: A Moroccan proposal for self-government in Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty. It offers autonomy rather than the independence option sought by the Polisario Front.
Sahrawi refugees: People displaced from Western Sahara who live chiefly in camps near Tindouf, Algeria. The unresolved conflict has left generations living outside the territory.
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic: A state proclaimed by the Polisario Front in 1976 and recognized by some countries and the African Union. Its proclamation turns the independence claim into a competing statehood claim.
Madrid Accords: The 1975 agreement through which Spain arranged an administrative handover of Western Sahara to Morocco and Mauritania. The accords shaped the withdrawal but did not resolve the sovereignty dispute.
Mohammed VI: King of Morocco since 1999, under whose reign Morocco has maintained its claim to Western Sahara. Morocco’s policy toward autonomy and sovereignty has continued during his reign.
Self-determination: The principle that peoples may freely determine their political status and pursue their development. The Polisario Front invokes this principle to demand a referendum including independence.
Natural resources of Western Sahara: Resources including phosphates, fisheries, and renewable-energy potential found in Western Sahara. Their exploitation raises questions about consent, benefits, and the territory’s disputed status.

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