What’s the future of the Western Sahara conflict?

Video Duration 28 minutes 20 seconds 28: 20. The United Nations ends its peacekeeping mission in the disputed territory.

Key points

• Samir Bennis – Political analyst and author of the book The Self-Determination Delusion: How Activist Scholars and Journalists Have Hijacked the Western Sahara Case.
• Mahjoub Mleiha – Advocacy head of Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA).
• Since then, both Morocco and the Polisario Front have asserted the Western Sahara.
• In the 1990s, the United Nations tried to reach a settlement, and deployed a peacekeeping mission to the region.
• The dispute over the territory of Western Sahara began more than 50 years ago.

For context, the dispute over the territory of Western Sahara began more than 50 years ago. It began with the end of Spanish colonial rule in the region.

Last week, that effort concluded when Russia and the United States blocked proposals to extend the mission's mandate. So, could this development lead to renewed fighting?

Irene Fernandez-Molina – Senior lecturer in International Relations at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom and author of the book Moroccan Foreign Policy under Mohammed VI, 1999-2014.

Mahjoub Mleiha – Advocacy head of Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA). Published On 2 Nov 20262 Nov 2026.

Taken together, the developments around what's the future of the Western Sahara conflict? Point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.