DUST IN A CUP

In the vast expanses of the Western Sahara, a fierce battle for sovereignty raged between the Sahrawi indigenous Polisario Front and the forces of Morocco, spanning from 1975 to 1991. This tumultuous period marked the zenith of the Western Sahara conflict, ignited by Spain's retreat from the region in compliance with the Madrid Accords.

These accords, forged under the specter of the Green March, saw Spain cede administrative control of the territory to Morocco and Mauritania, yet sovereignty remained contested.

The stage was set in late 1975, when the Moroccan government orchestrated the audacious Green March, a formidable procession of some 350,000 Moroccan citizens, flanked by 20,000 troops, converging upon Western Sahara to assert Moroccan authority. Initially encountering only token resistance from the Polisario Front, Morocco soon found itself embroiled in a protracted guerrilla war with the Sahrawi nationalists.

As the conflict evolved, the Polisario Front, fueled by aspirations of an independent state, turned its ire not only towards Morocco but also Mauritania. In a pivotal turn of events in 1979, Mauritania withdrew from the fray, striking a peace accord with the Polisario Front.

Despite Mauritania's exit, the fires of conflict smoldered throughout the 1980s, with Morocco striving to gain the upper hand. In the waning years of the conflict, between 1989 and 1991, Morocco launched several offensives in a bid to secure victory. However, a ceasefire agreement was eventually brokered in September 1991, marking a tentative halt to hostilities.

The toll exacted by this protracted struggle is staggering, with estimates placing the final death toll between 10,000 and 20,000 souls. Yet, even as the guns fell silent, the battle shifted from the military arena to one of civilian resistance.

In the aftermath of the conflict, efforts to forge a lasting peace and resolve the status of Sahrawi refugees have faltered. Presently, much of Western Sahara remains under Moroccan control, while inland territories are administered by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, overseen by the Polisario Front. The quest for a definitive resolution lingers, casting a long shadow over the arid sands of the Western Sahara.