Western Sahara Conflict (1973 - 1991)

Conflict in Western Sahara began as an insurgency by the Polisario Front against Spanish colonization in 1973. Two years later, Spain withdrew from the territory. Following the annexation of the territory by Morocco and Mauritania in 1976, the insurgency continued. After proclaiming the establishment of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in 1976, the Polisario Front succeeded in gaining recognition by several states, but was not admitted into the United Nations. Instead, the territory was annexed by Morocco and Mauritania, sparking a 16-year resistance by the Algerian-backed Polisario Front. Following a withdrawal by Mauritania in 1979, the conflict reached a stalemate through the 1980s and then reignited in 1989 until a ceasefire in 1991. At the time 80 per cent of the territory was under the de facto control of Morocco, while 20 per cent continued to be held by the SADR including the refugee camps along the Algerian border. Unrest has continued to erupt at intervals in from 1999-2004, 2005, 2010 and 2011. Attempts to solve the conflict have manifested in the form of the Baker Plan (2000) and the Moroccan Initiative (2006-2008).