Western Sahara The War That Never Ended And Why the World Let It Happen

Описание: Western Sahara is often called Africa’s last colony—but that label barely captures the reality.

Since 1975, this vast desert territory has been locked in a conflict that never truly ended: a war paused, not resolved. What began as an anti-colonial struggle against Spain evolved into a regional power contest involving Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria, the United Nations, and global powers prioritizing stability over self-determination.

In this episode, we trace the conflict from pre-colonial Sahrawi society to the modern geopolitical stalemate, examining:

How Spain’s withdrawal ignited war instead of independence

Why Morocco and Mauritania moved in—and why Mauritania withdrew

How the Polisario Front sustained a guerrilla war against a conventionally superior state

The construction of the 2,700 km Moroccan sand berm and its strategic impact

Why the UN-promised referendum never happened

How resources, alliances, and diplomacy froze the conflict for decades

Why fighting resumed in 2020—and what changed after U.S. recognition of Moroccan sovereignty

Western Sahara is not a forgotten war by accident.
It is a managed stalemate, where law exists without enforcement, identity without sovereignty, and peace without resolution.

🧭 Chapters / Themes

Colonial Legacies & Sahrawi Identity

Birth of the Polisario Front

War Against Morocco & Mauritania

The Berm and the Military Stalemate

UN Ceasefire & the Failed Referendum

Resources, Recognition, and Realpolitik

The 2020 Breakdown of the Ceasefire

📚 Sources & Further Reading (Primary & Verifiable)

United Nations

UN MINURSO Mandate & Reports
https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/missio...

UN General Assembly Resolutions on Western Sahara
https://www.un.org/dppa/decolonizatio...

Historical & Academic

Tony Hodges, Western Sahara: The Roots of a Desert War

Stephen Zunes & Jacob Mundy, Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution

International Crisis Group – Western Sahara Briefings
https://www.crisisgroup.org

Human Rights & Monitoring

Human Rights Watch – Western Sahara Reports
https://www.hrw.org/tag/western-sahara

Amnesty International – Morocco/Western Sahara
https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/m...

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

U.S. Proclamation on Moroccan Sovereignty (Dec 2020)
https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/...

African Union – SADR Membership Records
https://au.int

🎯 Why This Matters

Western Sahara is a case study in how international law fails without political will, and how frozen conflicts endure when powerful actors benefit from ambiguity.

If you care about:

African geopolitics

Post-colonial conflicts

UN peacekeeping failures

Resource-driven territorial disputes

This story matters.

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