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- Polisario Demonstators
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro (POLISARIO Front) was formed in 1973 as a force for the independence of the Sahrawi people, first from the colonial rule of Spain and then from potential annexation by Mauritania and Morocco. It is estimated that there are around 10,000 member of POLISARIO. Photo: Evan Schneider/UN Photos
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- Sahwari Soldier
When Moroccan forces invaded Western Sahara in 1975, the Sahrawi people under the banner of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro (POLISARIO Front), took up arms to defend what they believed to be their rightful homeland. While both sides signed a U.N. brokered cease-fire in 1991, intermittent skirmishes have continued. A U.N. proposed referendum on autonomy has been continually postponed due to disagreements about eligible voters. Photo: Peter Turnley/ Corbis
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- Prisoner of War
Many Sahrawi spoke out against Morocco's attempted annexation of Western Sahara in 1975. Some were jailed for their words and activities, while others are said to have "disappeared." Sahrawi activist Mohammed Daddach is pictured in the framed photo held by his mother, Enguia Bakay Lahbib. Daddach was the longest held of the political prisoners and spent 24 years in a Moroccan prison. He was released in 2001 and awarded Norway's prestigious Rafto Award for human rights in 2002. Photo: Nogues Alain/ Corbis Sygma
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- The Camps
There are four Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria named for places in Western Sahara: Semara, Dakhla, Ausert, Laayoune. The population of the camps is estimated to be a total 165,000. Although living conditions are difficult for these displaced people, they have created a democratic society that boasts a constitution guaranteeing gender equality, religious tolerance, and representative government. The people are 95 percent literate, and education through the sixth grade is available for all. Photo: Aiala Fernández
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- Temporary Home
A Sahrawi girl stands outside her tent home in a Sahrawi refugee camp. Once a nomadic people, today the Sahrawi reside in four refugee camps inside the barren Algerian-Sahara desert. What began as temporary shelters more than 25 years ago are turning into permanent structures as more and more Sahrawi abandon tents like this one in favor of adobe houses. Photo: Aiala Fernández
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- Water
According to Refugees International, the Dakhla camp (pictured) and only one of the three other Sahrawi refugee camps had running water in 2003; residents of the other two camps must rely on water delivered by trucks. Such limited access to water makes even subsistence agriculture next to impossible. Therefore, most food in the refugee camps comes from international aid groups and consists mainly of rice, bread, and a few root vegetables. Photo: Nogues Alain/ Corbis Sygma
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- Refugee Children
After nearly 28 years of exile for the Sahrawi, many children are second-generation refugees. Yet education remains a high priority: most attend school until the sixth grade -- a relatively high level in the region, and particularly impressive for a refugee population -- and many speak a second language by the age of five or six. But according to Refugees International, more than 44 percent of Sahrawi children are malnourished, some to the point of growth retardation. Photo: Evan Schneider/ UN Photos
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- Marathoner
Now entering its fifth year, the Sahara Marathon was created by the Sahrawi people to raise awareness of their plight, and help bring in money for food and medical aid. The standard 26.2-mile marathon is one of four races held for their benefit across the sometimes brutal Hamada desert near Tindouf, Algeria. Abdullah Mohammed is a Sahrawi refugee and a veteran runner of the Sahara Marathon. He runs the race in the name of his people. Photo: Aiala Fernández
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- Flag
The Sahrawi flag is a symbol of its people's struggle: black represents colonialism, white represents the purity of their cause, green represents the fertility of their native land, and red represents the blood of those who have died fighting for their freedom and independence. The crescent moon and star represent Islam. Photo: Aiala Fernández
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- Tomorrow
The Sahrawi have been displaced for more than a quarter of a century. Young Sahrawi have never known a home outside their tent cities. The U.N. mission overseeing the proposed referendum on independence has been extended again, and still the date for the vote has not been set. For now, the Sahrawi can only wait and hope. Photo: Aiala Fernández
