Independent Sahrawi Advocate for Human Rights and Natural Resources in Europe.
For 50 years, the Sahrawi people of Western Sahara have lived under one of the world's longest and most overlooked occupations. Yet, recent diplomatic leaks reveal that the United States and France are quietly working within the U.N. Security Council to dilute references to self-determination—a long-sought goal for the people of the occupied territory—seeking support for Morocco's 2007 autonomy plan instead.
The move mirrors a growing international trend of political convenience overriding international law, leaving the Sahrawi people trapped in the same injustice that began in 1975. This is not a regional dispute, nor a question of ancient allegiances. It is a clear case of unfinished decolonization—a process recognized by international law, blocked by political interests and sustained by silence.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) settled the question of sovereignty in Western Sahara half a century ago. In its 1975 Advisory Opinion, the court unequivocally stated that no territorial or sovereign ties exist between Morocco and Western Sahara that could justify Morocco's claim of annexation. The court's ruling reaffirmed the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination through a free and genuine expression of their will.
In response, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 1514 (XV) on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, defining self-determination as a universal and non-negotiable right. Since then, Western Sahara has remained on the U.N.'s official list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, alongside other regions awaiting decolonization.
Under international humanitarian law, Morocco's control over Western Sahara constitutes a belligerent occupation, not sovereignty.
- Mohamed Elbaikam
Thus, the United Nations has long recognized a representative body mandated to express the will of the Sahrawi people in international forums and peace processes. While not a state in and of itself today, as understood under U.N. rules, Western Sahara has engaged with regional and U.N. bodies as the legitimate interlocutor of a people still deprived of their right to vote on their future.
Under international humanitarian law, Morocco's control over Western Sahara constitutes a belligerent occupation, not sovereignty. The Fourth Geneva Convention (1949) explicitly prohibits an occupying power from exploiting the natural resources of occupied territory. It also outlaws population transfer from that occupied territory. Despite these clear legal principles, Morocco invaded and occupied most of Western Sahara in late 1975 after Spain ended its colonial rule and left the territory, forcing tens of thousands of Sahrawis into exile and establishing a military occupation that continues to this day.
Furthermore, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has consistently ruled—in 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2024—that Western Sahara and Morocco are "separate and distinct territories" under international law. These rulings invalidate any EU–Morocco trade and fisheries agreements applied to Western Sahara without the free, prior and informed consent of the Sahrawi people. By continuing to include Western Sahara in such agreements, European institutions not only violate EU law, but undermine their credibility as defenders of human rights and the rule of law.
Amid this repression, Sahrawis have clung to dignity, education and peace as acts of resistance throughout the decades.
- Mohamed Elbaikam
However, of greater importance to the debate surrounding the final status of Western Sahara are the human stories behind this long history of occupation and persecution. Generations of Sahrawis have come of age in refugee camps abroad or under occupation. They are a people divided by walls and borders, yet bound together by a shared identity and memory.
Sahrawis live today not only in the refugee camps of Tindouf Province in southwestern Algeria, but also across the occupied areas of Western Sahara and in neighboring countries such as Mauritania and Mali. They share deep social and cultural roots that extend throughout the western Sahel—from Mauritania, Algeria and Niger to the Atlantic coast—where family ties and shared heritage continue to transcend the colonial borders that once divided them.
Inside the occupied territories of Western Sahara, Morocco has developed sophisticated strategies of control that restrict every aspect of Sahrawi life. Security and military dominance, economic dependency and demographic engineering form the pillars of its occupation. Infrastructure projects and so-called "development plans" are primarily designed to exploit natural resources and silence Sahrawi voices, rather than serve the local population.
Economic control is also used as a tool of repression. Morocco understands that if Sahrawis achieve economic independence, they will also reclaim their political freedom. As such, dozens of Sahrawi activists who have spoken out against the occupation and its policies remain imprisoned under fabricated charges and unfair trials, facing torture, intimidation and systematic surveillance.
Amid this repression, Sahrawis have clung to dignity, education and peace as acts of resistance throughout the decades. They have built schools in exile, engaged international courts and appealed to the conscience of the world.
While the Polisario Front initially engaged in armed resistance during the early years of Morocco's invasion—a common response among colonized peoples—it has since prioritized diplomacy, international law and humanitarian advocacy as the primary means of struggle. Even with more recent upticks in fighting, recognizing this evolution is essential for understanding the Sahrawi cause not as a cycle of violence, but as a long journey toward lawful self-determination. The Sahrawi people refuse to destroy their future through the anger of the present, understanding that true victory is not won by force, but by preserving the moral foundation of their cause.
Ultimately, the Sahrawi struggle is not merely political. It is a moral and legal obligation of the international community. That obligation calls on states, institutions and individuals to respect the very principles they enshrined in the U.N. Charter: the equality of all people and the right to determine their destiny.
In this regard, supporting Western Sahara's decolonization is not about taking sides in a regional feud. It is about defending the integrity of international law and upholding the dignity of all peoples and communities. For over fifty years, Sahrawis have waited—patiently and honorably—for the international community to uphold its promises. They have asked for nothing more than a single day of democracy: the day when they can freely cast their vote in a U.N.-supervised referendum to decide their own future.
The EU and the United States, which proclaim a commitment to international law and human rights, bear a historic and moral responsibility to end this injustice. The law is clear and the right is undeniable. The voice of the Sahara will continue to remind the world that freedom is not a privilege, but a right long delayed, waiting for recognition.
