Situation Report: Western Sahara: Understanding the roots of the conflict and suggesting a way out, Issaka K. Souare, Abdelhamid El Ouali and Mhamed Khadad

Since the Spanish withdrawal from Western Sahara in February 1976 and the Moroccan government’s reassertion of its claims to that territory, the conflict that ensued between Rabat and the Polisario Front has proven extremely divisive both in the Maghreb region and the wider African continent. Despite several attempts to settle the dispute, through peace talks, plans and proposals, resolution has remained elusive. It was in an attempt to achieve an objective understanding of the complexities of this protracted conflict that the African Security Analysis Programme of the Institute for Security Studies organised an interactive roundtable seminar on this question. The seminar brought together two distinguished personalities from opposing sides to discuss the roots of the conflict, analyse the various peace proposals and plans, identify the stumbling blocks to peace, and suggest a way forward. Although they spoke in their personal capacities, their views substantially reflect the official positions of their governments.