What’s the future of the Western Sahara conflict?

Inside StoryThe United Nations ends its peacekeeping mission in the disputed territory.It’s one of Africa’s longest-running conflicts.The dispute over the territory of Western Sahara started more than 50 years ago. It began with the end of Spanish colonial rule in the region.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4From Morocco to South Africa, Israel election watched closely across Africalist 2 of 4Algeria’s military deployment to Niger: What’s behind the move?list 3 of 4Rival US and Russian resolutions on Western Sahara fail at UNlist 4 of 4Why is Morocco celebrating the defeat of a UN resolution on Western Sahara?end of listSince then, both Morocco and the Polisario Front have claimed the Western Sahara.In the 1990s, the United Nations tried to reach a settlement, and deployed a peacekeeping mission to the region.Last week, that effort ended when Russia and the United States blocked proposals to extend the mission’s mandate.So, could this development lead to renewed fighting?Presenter: Imran KhanGuests:Samir Bennis – Political analyst and author of the book The Self-Determination Delusion: How Activist Scholars and Journalists Have Hijacked the Western Sahara CaseIrene 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, 1999-2014Mahjoub Mleiha – Advocacy head of Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA)