Western Sahara: Forgotten Conflict { 22 images } Created 10 Dec 2006
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is a land divided by a thirty year old conflict. The United Nations says this is the longest and largest territorial conflict in the world.
In 1975, the Polisario Front, the Sahrawi political organization seeking independence from Western Sahara, began to carry out a low-intensity guerrilla war against Morocco. The war ended in 1991, when the United Nations brokered a ceasefire with the promise of holding a referendum to decide the territory's fate. But disagreements over voter eligibility have prevented the election from taking place.
The Sahrawi Government also lives in exile, in yet seventy-six nations recognize the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic's right to exist.
The conflict, which consumes their lives, has been forgotten by the news media a long time ago. A rambling nomadic group of tribes, formed from a mixture of Arabic, Berber, and black African cultures, their ancestors were Yemeni Arabs who originally traveled across North Africa in the 13th century.
In 1975, the Polisario Front, the Sahrawi political organization seeking independence from Western Sahara, began to carry out a low-intensity guerrilla war against Morocco. The war ended in 1991, when the United Nations brokered a ceasefire with the promise of holding a referendum to decide the territory's fate. But disagreements over voter eligibility have prevented the election from taking place.
The Sahrawi Government also lives in exile, in yet seventy-six nations recognize the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic's right to exist.
The conflict, which consumes their lives, has been forgotten by the news media a long time ago. A rambling nomadic group of tribes, formed from a mixture of Arabic, Berber, and black African cultures, their ancestors were Yemeni Arabs who originally traveled across North Africa in the 13th century.
