The evening news shapes our understanding of global events through careful selection. What we see, what we don't, and how stories are framed. In the vast stretches of the Sahara, a decades-old situation unfolds that most have never heard of: a story of contested lands, unfulfilled promises, and the quiet endurance of people caught between worlds. This is one of many invisible stories: overlooked lives, persistent hopes, and dreams suspended in the shadow of silence.
For nearly five decades, the barren hamada desert near Tindouf, Algeria, has been home to an estimated 173,000 Sahrawi refugees living in camps that began as temporary shelters after the 1975 conflict. The landscape is unforgiving: flat rocky plateaus where temperatures regularly exceed 50℃, limited rainfall, scarce resources. Daily life requires remarkable adaptation, with survival dependent on international humanitarian aid that has become increasingly strained by global crises like the war in Ukraine, driving up food prices and stretching already thin supplies.
Yet within this challenging environment, something unexpected has taken root. The camps have evolved into highly organized communities with schools, healthcare services, and tightly woven social networks. What strikes any observer is the prominent role women occupy in both public and private life, not simply as tradition, but as a practical response to circumstances that required adaptation and innovation.
Azza Mebarak was just 18 when she co-founded Badhrat El Khayr, a charity providing essential support to vulnerable families, from distributing diapers to raising funds for medical care abroad. At 24, she continues this work with quiet determination. Jamila Shelh, a 34-year-old midwife, carries forward a family legacy of caring for women and children in the Smara camp. Her days are filled with monitoring pregnancies, administering vaccinations, conducting home visits: the ordinary rhythms of healthcare that persist even in extraordinary circumstances.
These stories remind us that humanitarian situations don't emerge from environmental challenges alone, but from unresolved situations where funding shortfalls and aid dependency exist because certain questions have remained unanswered for nearly five decades.
To understand the current situation, one must look back to the 1970s. The Western Sahara conflict began as an anti-colonial movement led by the Polisario Front against Spanish colonial forces between 1973 and 1975. When Spain withdrew in 1976, the Madrid Accords transferred administration to Morocco and Mauritania, partitioning the territory. This occurred despite an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling determining that while historical ties existed, they weren't sufficient to prove sovereignty, affirming the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination.
Following these events, a 16-year armed conflict ensued. Mauritania withdrew its claim in 1979, but Morocco continued to administer the territory it had been allocated. A 1991 ceasefire established the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), with the core mandate of organizing a referendum where people could choose their future. That referendum never materialized, leaving the situation in a state of prolonged uncertainty.
The physical manifestation of this impasse is the Moroccan Wall: a 2,700-kilometer sand berm separating different zones of control. Heavily fortified, it stands as both a security measure and a symbol of division.
Timeline of Key Moments
| Year | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Polisario Front's formation | Beginning of organized resistance to colonial presence |
| 1975 | Spain's withdrawal & Madrid Accords | Transition of administration to Morocco and Mauritania |
| 1975-1991 | Period of armed conflict | Regional instability and population displacement |
| 1979 | Mauritania's withdrawal | Morocco assumes control of additional territory |
| 1991 | Ceasefire & MINURSO established | UN mission created to monitor peace and organize referendum |
| 2020 | Ceasefire interruption | Renewed tensions after military incident |
Visiting Aousserd, near Morocco's Sand Wall, offered an unexpected lesson in what communication theorists call "managed visibility." The wall itself spans over 2,700 kilometers, making it one of the world's longest military barriers. Between Dakhla and the interior, I encountered abandoned structures in the middle of vast emptiness: an archway marking what appeared to be a former entrance, the silence broken only when soldiers appeared, politely but firmly asking us to leave.
The site, apparently a military installation, seemed less active than expected. At Aousserd proper, my presence attracted considerable attention. I was photographed, encouraged to depart quickly, and informed that photography, video, or drone use were not permitted. When I asked about the wall, the few English-speaking officers simply stated, "There is no wall." A soldier observed from a distance during my brief stay, and a police patrol followed to confirm my departure from the zone.
They knew I was Italian. They'd checked my passport, ID, driver's license, even my vehicle registration. Yet the atmosphere suggested I represented something concerning. The nearby UN base added an element of irony to the situation that I'm still processing.
According to publicly available information, the "berm" consists of fortified positions, observation posts, and monitoring systems designed as defense against guerrilla tactics. Built in the 1980s with international support, it serves as a physical manifestation of competing claims over the region. It's also a reminder that unresolved situations tend to create not just political divisions, but economic disparities that complicate future reconciliation.
Western Sahara is resource-rich, particularly in phosphate rock. Morocco and Western Sahara together hold approximately 70% of global phosphate reserves. In 2021, production reached 38 million tons: 17% of world output. The Bou Craa mine in Western Sahara produces 2.6 million tons annually, transported 100 kilometers to El Ayun port.
These phosphates are labeled as "Moroccan exports," which allows Morocco to sidestep some legal challenges regarding the territory's status. The Polisario Front views this resource exploitation (phosphate, fishing rights, groundwater, emerging renewable energy projects) as occurring without the consent of those they represent as the territory's original inhabitants.
Multinational corporations participate in these economic activities, which critics describe as complicit in perpetuating the status quo. Documentary projects like "Partners in Occupation" have explored how international business interests intersect with territorial disputes, raising questions about corporate responsibility in contested zones.
Beyond the physical landscape, there's another conflict unfolding: a struggle over how the situation is understood and portrayed. This involves what communication scholars describe as sophisticated information campaigns designed to shape international perception.
A particularly revealing example emerged in 2023: allegations surfaced claiming "hundreds" of Iranian-trained Sahrawi fighters had been captured in Aleppo, Syria. Tracing this claim reveals a fascinating case study in how information circulates. The story originated from an unverified document that first appeared on a Moroccan Facebook page, combined with what appears to be deliberate misinterpretation of remarks by the Algerian ambassador to Syria.
Despite lacking credible independent verification (and a subsequent correction by a major Western newspaper that had initially amplified the claim), Moroccan and Israeli sources continue citing the original, uncorrected version as evidence. The Washington Post's correction explicitly stated that the Polisario denied any Iran connection and called the suggestion "implausible" and "an insult."
This pattern reveals a two-pronged communication approach: restricted journalist access to occupied territories creates information scarcity, while targeted campaigns frame the situation through specific geopolitical lenses, linking it to US-Iran rivalry, counter-terrorism narratives, and regional security concerns. By connecting a regional decolonization question to high-stakes international issues, certain actors gain powerful allies while deflecting scrutiny from their own actions.
Understanding Information Flow
| Claim | Origin | Current Status | Strategic Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Polisario fighters in Aleppo" | Unverified social media document; distorted diplomatic statement | No independent confirmation; source credibility questioned | Links movement to Iran, reshapes perception from self-determination to security threat |
| "Iranian training operations" | Western media amplification (later corrected) | Correction issued; original claim deemed implausible | Uses institutional credibility to legitimize narrative |
| "Global terrorist connections" | Multiple media outlets and advocacy groups | No intelligence agency verification; described as unlikely | Reframes decolonization question as counter-terrorism issue |
Perhaps the most profound example of how images can disrupt established narratives is the project Necessità dei Volti (The Necessity of Faces). In 1991, members of the "Informal Collective on Western Sahara" discovered thousands of small personal photographs (the kind soldiers carry in wallets or pockets) that had been captured along with weapons during conflicts.
The collective made a remarkable ethical choice: preserve these images and create a book. The statement was powerful. An invaded community preserved the face and memory of those who came as occupiers. Rather than destroying or discarding these intimate photographs of families, children, loved ones, they chose to humanize rather than dehumanize. This represented a refusal to adopt the logic of dehumanization that conflict so often demands.
The power of this simple act was confirmed in 2018 when the book was scheduled to be displayed at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Following pressure from external sources, the museum suspended the presentation, citing concerns about "political instrumentalization." This censorship serves as definitive proof that art can threaten established narratives so profoundly that it must be silenced.
The silence that began in the desert camps has extended even to international cultural institutions: a clear demonstration that certain truths, when captured and shared visually, pose challenges that power structures cannot tolerate.
Five decades of media absence around this situation represents what communication theorists call "structural silence": not accidental oversight but patterned omission. Portuguese sociologist Boaventura de Sousa Santos describes this through his concept of "abyssal thinking": certain people and situations exist "on the other side of the line," where they become epistemologically nonexistent within dominant knowledge systems.
International legal frameworks (ICJ rulings, UN resolutions on self-determination) represent one reality. Yet when economic interests and political calculations take precedence, entire populations can effectively disappear from global consciousness. This isn't law failing; it's law being deliberately subordinated to other priorities.
The international community plays complex, sometimes contradictory roles. The UN maintains its peacekeeping mission and calls for self-determination, but the referendum mandate remains unfulfilled after decades. The European Union provides crucial humanitarian funding that keeps refugees alive, while simultaneously engaging economically with resources from the disputed territory. The United States historically avoided definitive positions, though a 2020 executive order recognized Moroccan sovereignty in exchange for diplomatic agreements elsewhere: a decision that validated Morocco's claims while undermining UN-backed self-determination principles.
International Actors: Multiple Realities
| Actor | Primary Role | Paradoxes & Complications |
|---|---|---|
| United Nations | Peacekeeping mission; referendum advocacy | Core mandate unfulfilled for decades; mission continues without resolution |
| European Union | Humanitarian aid provider | Supplies essential support while economic ties continue with disputed resource exports |
| United States | Historical non-alignment | 2020 policy shift recognized Moroccan sovereignty as part of broader diplomatic agreements |
| Multinational Corporations | Economic activity participants | Business operations in disputed territories raise questions about international law and corporate ethics |
Against this backdrop of institutional complexity and deliberate information control, certain forms of resistance persist. The resilience visible in the camps, the tireless work of individuals like Azza and Jamila, the ethical courage of projects like Necessità dei Volti: these represent counter-narratives that power structures cannot fully suppress.
As a visual anthropologist and documentary photographer, I see this work as bearing witness. Not to advocate for particular political outcomes, but to document realities that systematic silences seek to obscure. Every photograph becomes an act of memory preservation, every story shared a challenge to epistemological erasure.
The truth, once captured and carefully shared, possesses remarkable durability. It circulates through channels that formal power cannot entirely control, creating what Michel de Certeau called "tactics": creative resistance within constraining structures. These documented moments (women's leadership, artistic humanization, everyday survival) constitute archives of human possibility, demonstrating that even in information deserts, creativity finds expression.
The silence surrounding this situation for five decades is a collective responsibility. It allows certain realities to persist unchallenged. From governments to corporations to individuals, we all participate in systems of attention and inattention. Looking beyond constructed narratives to acknowledge the people whose lives and dreams hang in balance isn't political advocacy: it's ethical documentation.
As the stories of Sahrawi women and the censorship of a simple photography book demonstrate, documented truth possesses stubborn persistence. It remains an unwavering guide in the face of complexity, reminding us that to remain silent, to look away from documented realities, is itself a form of participation.
de Certeau, M. (1984) The practice of everyday life. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Edwards, E. (2001) Raw histories: Photographs, anthropology and museums. Oxford: Berg.
Herman, E.S. and Chomsky, N. (1988) Manufacturing consent: The political economy of the mass media. New York: Pantheon Books.
International Court of Justice (1975) Western Sahara Advisory Opinion. The Hague: ICJ. [Link]
McCombs, M.E. and Shaw, D.L. (1972) 'The agenda-setting function of mass media', Public Opinion Quarterly, 36(2), pp. 176-187.
Santos, B. de S. (2007) 'Beyond abyssal thinking: From global lines to ecologies of knowledges', Review, 30(1), pp. 45-89.
United Nations (1991) Security Council Resolution 690: Establishment of MINURSO. New York: UN Security Council. [Link]
Wardle, C. (2017) Fake news. It's complicated. First Draft. Available at: https://firstdraftnews.org (Accessed: 18 October 2025).