Western Sahara is a region occupied by Morocco. Originally it was a Spanish colony called Rio de Oro, until a part of the Sahrawi people asked for independence. The Polisario Front was then formed by Sahrawi rebels to fight for independence from Rio de Oro.
The Polisario fought for independence in the 70s and, after bloody battles, proclaimed the sovereignty of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in 1975. But soon after independence, Morocco and Mauritania invaded the territory.
The Polisario Front then decided to form an allegance with Algeria, a rival state to Morocco, and based itself in the town of
Tindouf. Thanks to help received from its new ally, the Polisario was able to free territories occupied by Mauritania, which abandoned its role in the conflict. Morocco, on the other hand, was able to protect most of the Sahrawi territory it controlled (including the coastal towns and mines) and built a wall of dried sand, the
Berm wall, to protect itself from Polisario raids. In this conflict, the
UN is trying to organise a referendum of independence for the Sahrawi, which is not recognized by Morocco, and has sent the
MINURSO to try and make it happen...
