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The complexity of Western Sahara is tied to its colonial history. Initially claimed by Spain during the Berlin Conference of 1884, it remained a Spanish colony well into the 20th century. The struggle for control intensified after Morocco gained independence in 1956 and sought to reclaim territories it believed were historically its own, including Western Sahara.
In response to these territorial ambitions, the Polisario Front was formed in 1973 by the indigenous Sahrawi people, who vied for independence from Spanish rule. The political landscape shifted dramatically when Spain agreed to negotiate a withdrawal in the 1975 Madrid Accords, leading to a partitioning of the territory between Morocco and Mauritania without consulting the Sahrawi.