Spain abandoned this colony after the death of Franco in 1975, opening the door to Moroccan occupation (and armed resistance by the Polisario Front). The UN brokered a ceasefire in 1991. This established MINURSO – the UN Mission for a Referendum in Western Sahara – but basically froze the situation, with Morocco occupying most of the territory and building a 2,700 km fortified wall to prevent incursions from the zone bordering Mauritania and controlled by Polisario (itself based in Algeria). The turn to unarmed resistance has taken the form of waves of protest – either demanding the promised referendum or on social conditions – in 1999, in 2005-6, and again in 2010, and the emergence of a younger generation of leaders, the best known being Aminatou Haidar.
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E. V.B.b.3. Western Sahara
Chapters on building Sahrawi identity, civil society, and countering the ‘wall of fear’.
Benefits from firsthand research in Western Sahara. For links to other writing by Zunes and Mundy, see http://wsahara.stephenzunes.org.
The online version of Vol. 1 of the bibliography was made possible due to the generous support of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC). ICNC is an independent, non-profit educational foundation that develops and encourages the study and use of civilian-based, nonmilitary strategies aimed at establishing and defending human rights, democratic self-rule and justice worldwide.
For more information about ICNC, please see their website.
The online version of Vol. 2 of the bibliography was made possible due to the generous support of The Network for Social Change. The Network for Social Change is a group of individuals providing funding for progressive social change, particularly in the areas of justice, peace and the environment.
For more information about The Network for Social Change, please visit their website.
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