Africa Daily
Africa Daily
Western Sahara: what is life like for the Sahrawi refugees?
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March 18, 2025
16 minutes
Available for over a year
The dispute over Western Sahara is one of Africa’s longest running wars – starting in 1975. It pits Morocco against the Polisario Front- an Algerian backed political movement.
But while the international community has focussed on finding a diplomatic solution – the plight of the indigenous Sahrawi people, who used to live on the disputed land, is often forgotten.
They have been living in difficult-to-access refugee camps in Algeria for the past 50 years, amidst allegations that they’re being used as pawns in a wider struggle.
So what is their life like? And is there any hope that this long running conflict can be resolved?
GUESTS: Moroccan politician and activist, Lahcen Haddad, and the BBC’s Sally Nabil who’s visited the camps.