The Status of Western Sahara
Introduction to the committee:
The UN General Assembly (UNGA) is the principal policy-making body of the UN. As all member states are part of this committee and have an equal vote, it provides a unique setting for multilateral discussions on issues that the international community faces. The General Assembly meets in regular sessions from September to December every year. The General Assembly is divided into committees, which discuss particular issues. We will be meeting as the Special Political and Decolonization committee (Specpol), which discusses a wide range of political topics. One of its jobs is maintaining the UN list of non-self-governing territories, on which one finds Western Sahara.
Historical background:
Western Sahara is a large region on the northwest coast of Africa, covering around 272,000 square kilometers—an area larger than the United Kingdom. Known for its vast, arid landscapes and expansive desert, the territory’s geopolitical significance stems as much from its mineral resources as its contested status. Despite decades of international attention, the question of sovereignty over Western Sahara remains one of the world’s last unresolved colonial disputes.
Historically, Western Sahara has been inhabited by the Sahrawi people, a traditionally semi-nomadic ethnic group of mixed Berber and Arab descent, whose presence in the region dates back centuries. The Sahrawi tribes developed a distinct cultural identity deeply rooted in the desert landscape, which shaped their social and political structures. Organized into tribes, the Sahrawi people led a semi-nomadic lifestyle, relying on camel herding, subsistence trade, and local governance. Their culture centered on a system of tribal alliances that often adapted to the challenging desert environment.
As with much of Africa, Western Sahara increasingly came under the influence of European powers by the 19th century. This influence began indirectly, mainly in the form of trade relationships, mostly in slaves . However, by the late 1800s, the European colonization wave—ignited by the Berlin Conference in 1884—paved the way for Spain to formally claim the territory, marking the beginning of direct colonial rule. By establishing settlements along the coast and expanding inland, Spain designated Western Sahara as Spanish Sahara. This control was met with massive resistance by the local people, and was for many years limited to a number of strong points along the coast, but was mostly consolidated by the early 20th century.
Under Spanish rule, the indigenous Sahrawi people encountered significant changes. Spain’s colonial administration aimed to exploit the region’s resources and exert control over its population, though challenges from the Sahrawis persisted. Meanwhile, discoveries of phosphate deposits, vital for the manufacture of fertilizers, in the Bu Craa region in the 1940s added another layer to the territory’s economic and strategic value. This lucrative resource would later become a focal point of contention as various parties sought control over Western Sahara.
In the mid-20th century, Africa’s decolonization wave spurred nationalist movements across the continent, and Western Sahara was no exception. The Sahrawi people, influenced by the rise of post-colonial movements, began to demand independence from Spanish rule. In 1973, the Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro) was established as a Sahrawi nationalist movement, advocating for independence and self-determination. The Polisario Front soon launched an armed resistance against Spanish forces, seeking to end colonial rule and establish an independent state.
In 1975, Spain, facing increased international pressure and domestic unrest following the death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco, began to withdraw from Western Sahara. Amid its retreat, Spain negotiated the Madrid Accords with Morocco and Mauritania, under which the two neighboring countries agreed to partition the territory. This arrangement effectively dismissed the aspirations of the Sahrawi people for self-determination and led to further complications in the region’s already-tense political landscape.
Following Spain’s withdrawal, Morocco and Mauritania advanced their claims over Western Sahara, each establishing administrations over separate portions of the territory. Morocco argued that Western Sahara was historically part of its kingdom, a claim it presented to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, the ICJ concluded in a non-binding opinion that while there were historical ties, these did not establish sovereignty or negate the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.
With Moroccan and Mauritanian forces occupying much of the region, the Polisario Front intensified its struggle, now against two opposing forces. On the 27th of February 1976, the Polisario Front declared the new nation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). The conflict escalated, with the Polisario conducting guerrilla attacks on Moroccan and Mauritanian targets. In this struggle they received some foreign support, most significantly from neighboring Algeria, who had a territorial dispute In 1979, after sustained military pressure from the Polisario, Mauritania withdrew from the conflict and relinquished its claim to Western Sahara, leaving Morocco as the primary claimant and occupier.
To consolidate its control, Morocco began constructing a sand and stone barrier, known as the Moroccan Wall or “the Berm,” in the early 1980s. This fortified wall stretched over 2,700 kilometers and effectively divided Western Sahara, separating areas controlled by Morocco from the “Free Zone” administered by the Polisario Front in the eastern desert. The Moroccan Wall remains one of the world’s longest continuous barriers and a physical manifestation of the territory’s division.
Internationally, the conflict attracted attention, with the United Nations attempting to broker peace. In 1991, a UN-negotiated ceasefire brought an end to open hostilities between Morocco and the Polisario Front, and the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) was established. MINURSO’s primary goal was to organize a referendum in which the Sahrawi people could choose between independence and integration with Morocco. However, due to disagreements over voter eligibility, the referendum has been repeatedly delayed, leaving the territory’s status unresolved for over three decades.
To this day, Western Sahara remains one of the world’s most intractable territorial conflicts. Morocco controls around 80% of the territory, where it has established significant infrastructure, government facilities, and even economic projects such as phosphate mining and fishing operations. Rabat has promoted the Moroccan sovereignty narrative, investing in development projects and promoting its integration into Moroccan governance. It has also sponsored significant projects to resettle over 300’000 Moroccan citizens in the region, who now comprise roughly two thirds of the area’s population. These resettlement projects are illegal under international law.
On the other hand, the Polisario Front continues to demand independence, operating from the Free Zone and from refugee camps in southwestern Algeria, where many Sahrawis have lived since the conflict began. The SADR has received recognition from over 40 countries, primarily in Africa and Latin America though many nations have rescinded recognition under diplomatic pressure from Morocco. SADR has gained membership in the African Union, highlighting the continent’s support for the Sahrawi right to self-determination.
Internationally, the conflict has drawn polarized reactions. While the United Nations upholds the right to self-determination, several countries, particularly in the Arab world and the European Union, have aligned with Morocco’s claims, valuing Morocco’s stability and economic partnerships over the disputed territory. In 2020, the United States recognized Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara as part of a diplomatic agreement, marking a significant shift in international diplomacy and adding another layer of complexity to the issue.
The Current situation:
The status of western Sahara has been effectively frozen since the ceasefire in 1991, with the border between Moroccan-controlled territories (“southern provinces”) and Polisario-controlled territories (the “free zone”) marked by a massive 2’700 km sand wall surrounded by minefield, built by Morocco in phases throughout the 80’s. Morocco controls three quarters of the territory, including almost the entire coastline, most major population centers, and all of the areas’ Phosphate resources. As already mentioned, the majority of the population now comprises Moroccan settlers, though significant numbers of Sahrawis have also fled the region as refugees, primarily to neighboring Algeria.
Small-scale conflict has periodically flared. Most recently, since 2020 the SADR has declared renewed war on Morocco, but conflict has remained limited to regular bombardments across the border. Though the skirmishes have remained of a small scale, it is important for peace in the region to prevent this conflict from spreading further, though the prospect of permanent peace seems far away. Morocco has offered autonomy in local government as a compromise, but the Polisario front has continued to demand a referendum, ultimately desiring full independence. They have some international allies, most notably Algeria, which has been their main backer throughout their entire conflict.
What the UN has already done:
Following the 1975 withdrawal of Spain from Western Sahara and ensuing conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front, the United Nations became actively involved in attempting to resolve the dispute. In 1988, Morocco and the Polisario accepted a UN Settlement Plan, which called for a ceasefire and a UN-organized referendum allowing the Sahrawi people to choose between independence and integration with Morocco. This led to the establishment of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) in 1991, tasked with monitoring the ceasefire and preparing for the referendum.
However, the referendum has been repeatedly delayed, largely due to disagreements over voter eligibility and the referendum’s options. Morocco's insistence on an autonomy framework and refusal to include independence as an option in recent years have contributed to a prolonged stalemate. Despite these challenges, MINURSO remains active, primarily as a peacekeeping force overseeing the ceasefire and maintaining stability in the region.
In 2007, the UN initiated negotiations on a political solution based on “mutually acceptable” terms, but these talks have seen limited progress. The UN Security Council continues to renew MINURSO’s mandate annually, although its lack of a human rights monitoring role has drawn criticism.
Key Questions when researching your country’s position:
Does my country have relations with the SADR?
Has my country formally commented on the conflict, and on the rights of the Sahrawi people?
How strong is my country’s ties to Morocco?
How does my country commonly treat such post-colonial conflicts?
Does my country have diplomatic, military, or economic interests in North Africa?
Is my country involved in the MINURSO mission?
Questions a resolution should answer:
How can peace be ultimately achieved in the region?
What should the long term status of Western Sahara be?
What measures are necessary to preserve the humanitarian situation in the region?
Should the long-promised referendum be implemented, and if so, how?
How can human rights in the region be guaranteed?
Country suggestions:
Algeria
Brazil
China
France
India
Mauritania
Morocco
Nigeria
Polisario Front
United States
Spain
South Africa
