Western Sahara

Discover Western Sahara

The earliest known inhabitants of Western Sahara were the San people, who arrived in the region over 10,000 years ago. The San were hunter-gatherers who lived in harmony with the harsh desert environment.

In the 11th century AD, the Berber people migrated to Western Sahara from North Africa. The Berbers brought with them their Islamic faith and their nomadic culture.

In the 15th century, European explorers began to arrive in Western Sahara. The Portuguese were the first to claim the territory, but they were soon followed by the Spanish.

In 1884, Spain established a protectorate over Western Sahara. The Spanish ruled the territory for nearly a century, but they faced increasing resistance from the indigenous Sahrawi people.

In 1973, the Polisario Front, a Sahrawi independence movement, was founded. The Polisario Front launched a guerrilla war against the Spanish colonial government.

In 1975, Spain withdrew from Western Sahara, and the territory was immediately claimed by Morocco and Mauritania. The Polisario Front continued to fight for independence against the Moroccan and Mauritanian forces.

In 1979, Mauritania signed a peace treaty with the Polisario Front and withdrew from Western Sahara. Morocco, however, refused to recognize the Polisario Front's claims to independence.

In 1991, the United Nations brokered a ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario Front. A UN peacekeeping mission was deployed to the territory to monitor the ceasefire and organize a referendum on self-determination.

However, the referendum has never been held, and Morocco continues to control most of Western Sahara. The Polisario Front claims sovereignty over the entire territory and has established a government-in-exile in Algeria.

The conflict in Western Sahara is one of the longest-running territorial disputes in Africa. It is a complex issue with no easy solution.

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