Going under the radar in Western Sahara

At the level of formal attempts at conflict resolution, the Western Sahara conflict has been locked in a political stalemate for years. One consequence is that the people of Western Sahara are often overlooked in their own conflict – despite the fact that the very case for decolonization in Western Sahara hinges upon the right of the people of the territory to self-determination. This essay examines how, despite the ongoing formal stalemate, under the radar of formal politics in recent years there have been significant changes on the ground instigated by the people of Western Sahara. In exile in Algeria, in Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara, and in the Sahrawi diaspora, Sahrawis are mobilizing in new ways, targeting both Morocco and the liberation movement for Western Sahara. If these shifts have yet to shake the stalemate, this intensification of indigenous political mobilization suggests the urgency of taking the desires of the people of Western Sahara into account in any attempts to resolve the conflict.