DeFacto Dialogues: "The Unfinished Chapter: Decolonization, (De)recognition, and Self-Determination of Western Sahara"

• Place and time: Lossi 36-305, 4 December 2025 16:15-17:45
• Speakers: Hadi Kentawi (representative of the Polisario Front from Western Sahara), Shpend Kursani (University of Tartu, lecturer in International Relations)
• Moderator: Kristel Vits (University of Tartu)

Western Sahara does not often make international news headlines, although this decades-long dispute between Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (and the Polisario Front, its political-military wing) is, in recent years, characterized by constant low-intensity conflict on the ground, as well as larger (geo)political shifts concerning its status on the international level. One of the last unfinished cases of decolonization, Western Sahara brings together issues of the fundamental rights to self-determination and (de-)recognition in international relations, as influenced by the legal and political decisions by major powers.

In this DeFacto Dialogues seminar, Hadi Kentawi, representative of the Polisario Front from Western Sahara, and Shpend Kursani, lecturer in International Relations, discuss the political, legal, and social dimensions that shape this conflict today, and what is the role of the African Union in the conflict-resolution process. The discussion is moderated by Kristel Vits, analyst at the Skytte Institute.

Join us for a critical look at the pathways—legal, diplomatic, and political—toward a just and lasting resolution in the region.