For fifty years, the people of Western Sahara have lived under a double burden: military occupation on their land and forced exile in distant refugee camps. Morocco, meanwhile, showcases diplomatic endorsements and promotes its autonomy plan as the "only realistic" and "final" settlement. Yet, despite this narrative, Western Sahara remains on the UN list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, still waiting for decolonization and a genuine act of self-determination.
The statement issued yesterday by the Moroccan side must be read in this context. It is not an isolated text; it is one more attempt to normalize a situation created by force. The statement repeats familiar claims: that Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara is already settled, that the autonomy plan has closed the chapter of decolonization, and that Sahrawis supposedly live in prosperity and enjoy their rights under Moroccan administration. None of these assertions reflect the legal reality or the daily experience of the Sahrawi people.
International Law and the Unfinished Decolonization of Western Sahara: From the outset, international law has rejected the idea that Western Sahara is simply "Moroccan territory." When Morocco itself asked the International Court of Justice in 1975 to examine its historical claims, the Court acknowledged that there were certain ties of allegiance between the Moroccan Sultan and some tribes in the region. But the Court was explicit: these ties did not amount to sovereignty and did not cancel the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination through a free and genuine expression of their will.
On the basis of this opinion, the United Nations has continually treated Western Sahara as a decolonization issue, not as a border adjustment or an internal Moroccan matter. Since 1963, the territory has appeared on the UN list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, and successive General Assembly resolutions have reaffirmed the inalienable right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination and independence.
Even the most recent Security Council resolution renewing the mandate of MINURSO (Resolution 2797 of 2025) does not endorse Moroccan sovereignty. It extends the mission's work and notes Morocco's autonomy proposal-but it frames the issue within the search for a political solution consistent with self-determination. The resolution's adoption with notable abstentions also underscores that the international community remains divided and that the question is far from settled.
Against this backdrop, the suggestion that the UN has effectively closed the file in favor of Morocco is simply incorrect. Legally and politically, Western Sahara remains one of Africa's last unresolved colonial questions.
Fifty Years of Dignity and Relentless Resistance: Despite decades of occupation, imprisonment, exile, and propaganda, the Sahrawi people have not given up. In the occupied cities, Sahrawi students, women, and workers continue to organize peaceful protests, document abuses, and raise their flag whenever they can. Many pay a high price for this courage.
In the refugee camps, the community has built schools, clinics, cultural centers, and institutions of self-government. Education, especially for girls, is seen as a tool of resistance and a way to preserve identity. Sahrawi diplomats, journalists, and activists carry their cause to international forums, universities, and civil-society organizations around the world.
This is what is meant by "50 years of dignity and relentless struggle": not a romantic slogan, but the daily reality of a people who refuse to disappear and who insist on being recognized as the primary actors in deciding their destiny.
Towards a Just and Durable Peace: A fair and lasting solution in Western Sahara cannot be based on unilateral plans, selective interpretations of UN resolutions, or the silencing of dissent. Any credible process must include:
oA genuine political mechanism that allows the Sahrawi people to freely choose between independence, autonomy, or integration, through a transparent and internationally supervised vote.
oEffective and impartial human-rights monitoring throughout Western Sahara and in the refugee camps, with full access for UN mechanisms, journalists, and NGOs.
oAn end to the repression of Sahrawi activists and the immediate release of those imprisoned for peaceful political expression.
oA framework ensuring that the exploitation of natural resources is carried out only with the free, prior, and informed consent of the Sahrawi people, and for their direct benefit.
Until these conditions are met, diplomatic statements claiming that the conflict is "resolved" will remain attempts to dress an occupation in the rhetoric of peace and development. The suffering of the Sahrawi people-and their unwavering demand for self-determination-stands as a clear and enduring rebuttal to such narratives.
The writer is Director, International Institute of International Studies (IIGS)
