Morocco vs. Western Sahara

Disclaimer: The mention of Western Sahara in this content does not imply a political stance.

Why do some world maps show a Morocco and a Western Sahara, while others show no Western Sahara at all? Let’s dive in.

As the case of many conflicts, the cause is colonization and independence dates. Morocco gained independence from the French in 1956, and started to claim the Spanish colonies of Río de Oro and Seguia el Hamra. The 2 latter entities eventually merged to form Spanish Sahara, and gained independence as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in 1975-76. (From this point on, I will refer to Western Sahara as the SADR.) Morocco and Mauritania immediately claimed the area, though Mauritania relinquished its claim in 1979. The SADR lost much of its territory to Morocco, and they have set up de facto capitals in the city of Tifariti, Western Sahara and the refugee camp of Rabouni, Algeria. However, they currently claim their capital to be the Moroccan-held city of El Aaiún in the disputed territory.

The issue of the SADR has gone international. Currently, 47 countries like Algeria, Mauritania, Mexico, and Colombia recognize the SADR, while another 38, such as India, Madagascar, and Papua New Guinea, have recognized it in the past, but have suspended, withdrawn, or frozen their diplomatic relations with the country. The SADR is also in the African Union, and representatives of the country participated in some meetings of the Non-Aligned Movement.

What will happen in the future? Will Morocco and Western Sahara go into war again over a small thing, like what happened in 2020? Will they reach peace, and will the SADR get the territory they claim? Only time will tell.

By Mihir Gupta