The Western Sahara is a North-African country with two significant characteristics: firstly, its political structure, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, is recognized by 49 states, mostly from the African continent; secondly, a very high percentage of its population –160,000 out of 250,000, according to some estimates– lives out of their own territory.

The conflict of the Western Sahara dates back to 1975, when Franco’s totalitarian government in Spain withdrew from its last African colony, leaving free way for Morocco and Mauritania to occupy the Western Sahara. These two countries went ahead the United Nations recommendation of a self-determination referendum, backed by the International Court of Justice.

The Polisario Front –from the Spanish abbreviation of “Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro”– had been founded few years before the Spanish withdrawal to struggle for the independence of the Western Sahara. Its activities were first aimed at destabilizing the Spanish colonial government, but from 1975 onwards it started leading the political aspirations of the Sahrawi people. In 1976 the Polisario Front proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and a guerrilla war against Moroccan and Mauritanian armies broke out. Sahrawi independence supporters had the backing of Algeria, the Alaouite regime’s regional opponent.

The war went on until 1991. Prior to that, Mauritania had backed out from the armed conflict in 1979 and Morocco built a wall in the 80’s to divide Rabat-controlled territories –approximately 80% of the Western Sahara– from those controlled by the Sahrawis –the remaining 20% along the border with Algeria and Mauritania.

The intensity of the conflict diminished in 1991 with a ceasefire that is still in force. However, a final solution is yet far to be reached. The UN established the MINURSO (United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara), which was originally mandated to monitor a referendum of self-determination. The plebiscite has never been held due to disagreements on the register between Morocco and the Polisario.

Demography is perhaps the most controversial issue of the conflict. A vast portion of the Sahrawi territory is under Alaouite control, and thousands of Moroccan families have settled in to the extent that Sahrawis have become a minority. According to estimates by Minority Rights Group, the majority of the Sahrawi people –160,000 out of 250,000– are currently living in the Tindouf refugee camps of Algeria.

At present, the Western Sahara issue continues to be an unresolved conflict for the international diplomacy and violations of human rights are constantly committed. Morocco carries out a fierce repression of political and pro-human rights movements, and has declared in countless occasions that it will never agree to recognize Western Sahara’s right to self-determination. Last but not least, Sahrawi refugee camps entirely depend on international aid and their critical condition do not seem to have a feasible way out in the medium term.