Protracted conflict and failure to achieve prenegotiation in Western Sahara Conflict

October 2, 2025

This article deals with a case of failed (pre)negotiation. The two parties to the protracted conflict in the Western Sahara have yet to succeed in getting to the table and engaging in genuine (pre)negotiations. Despite the existence of a UN peace plan agreed to by the two parties, both have failed to pursue direct negotiations in order to put a definitive end to this conflict, itself a result of an unfinished process of decolonization. The thesis in this article is that Morocco, for various reasons, has categorically refused to seriously negotiate with POLISARIO, which it does not recognize as an independent actor. The United Nations and Western powers, due to the absence of political will and/or questions of Realpolitik, also bear responsibility for the continuation of this enduring conflict.