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Photos show life in Western Sahara, which has been dubbed 'Africa's ...
A man in Moroccan-controlled Laayoune holds flags in a commemorative parade.Abdel Majid BZIOUAT/AFP via Getty ImagesWestern Sahara is a disputed territory the size of Colorado in West Africa.Though Morocco controls most of the territory, the UN considers its final status unresolved.While the territory is home to cities, mosques, and culture, it's also defined by conflict.With close to 200 countries between them, all seven continents are home to territorial disputes.But in Africa, a territory the size of Colorado is designated by the United Nations as a non-self-governing territory, making it the largest disputed territory in the world.Western Sahara borders Algeria, Mauritania, and Morocco, with the latter controlling about 80% of the territory. The eastern area is controlled by the Polisario Front, a nationalist military group made up of the Sahrawi ethnic group, who are native to the region.The territory holds political significance for its phosphate rock reserves, offshore fishing, and location on the Atlantic coast. While Morocco claims Western Sahara as its own, the Polisario Front proclaims the territory to belong to the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Many Sahrawi people reside in refugee camps on the Algerian border.Formerly controlled by Spain, the territory has never seen a referendum on independence for the native Sahrawis. As a result, many activists dub the territory "Africa's last colony."See life in Western Sahara in photos.Spain withdrew from Western Sahara in 1975.Moroccans walking in the Green March of 1975.Alain Nogues/Sygma via Getty ImagesSpain withdrew its rule in Western Sahara amid increasing resistance from the Polisario independence movement, and Morocco soon ushered in 350,000 Moroccans in a demonstration known as the Green March. Neighboring Mauritania also laid claim to part of the territory, but withdrew by the end of the decade due to military force from the Polisario Front.After conflict ensued between Moroccan forces and Polisario fighters, a ceasefire was agreed upon in the 1990s under the auspices of the UN. Under the agreement, a referendum on independence was envisioned for the Sahrawi people, but the vote never took place.The territory is divided diagonally by a Moroccan-constructed Berm, lined with land mines.Fighting has resumed in recent years, though a Moroccan proposal for Western Saharan autonomy under Moroccan authority was addressed by the UN Security Council in 2025. It said Morocco's proposal should be take...
Photos show life in Western Sahara, which has been dubbed 'Africa's ...
A man in Moroccan-controlled Laayoune holds flags in a commemorative parade. Abdel Majid BZIOUAT/AFP via Getty Images Western Sahara is a disputed territory the size of Colorado in West Africa. Though Morocco controls most of the territory, the UN considers its final status… This story appeared on businessinsider.com, 2026-04-03 14:46:13.
Photos show life in Western Sahara, which has been dubbed 'Africa's ...
Formerly controlled by Spain, the territory has never seen a referendum on independence for the native Sahrawis. As a result, many activists dub the territory "Africa's last colony." See life in Western Sahara in photos. Spain withdrew from Western Sahara in 1975. Moroccans walking in the Green March of 1975. Alain Nogues/Sygma via Getty ...
What Are Russia's Objectives in Involving Itself in the Western Sahara ...
Since 1975, there has been a conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front over the Western Sahara region, which began after the end of Spanish colonization, before turning into an armed confrontation that lasted until 1991, ending with a UN-brokered agreement.
