This November marks a somber milestone: fifty years since Morocco began its occupation of Western Sahara, a territory many consider to be Africa’s last colony. The indigenous Sahrawi people have spent this half-century fighting for self-determination, a right promised but never fulfilled. Their struggle began after Spain withdrew and handed control to Morocco and Mauritania in 1975, bypassing the Sahrawis entirely. A brutal conflict followed, displacing tens of thousands of Sahrawis into refugee camps in Algeria, where many remain today. Despite a 1991 UN-brokered ceasefire that promised an independence referendum, the vote has never occurred. Several decades on, Morocco has strengthened its diplomatic standing through trade and political influence and is pushing a non-referendum autonomy plan for the region. Yet, Sahrawi activists continue to resist, drawing parallels to other global struggles and vowing to persist until their fundamental human rights are recognized.
Okay Africa
