Editor’s note: The Western Sahara is a territory making up a large part of the northwest coast of Africa, spanning from Mauritania to Morocco. The territory stretches east inland forming a small border with Algeria. The Western Sahara has been a disputed territory since being freed from Spanish rule in the 1970’s, after which it was quickly re-occupied by a Moroccan invasion in 1975. The Saharawi people have been fighting for independence and self-governance since. Ambassador Malainin Lakhal is Saharawi, a writer and a diplomat.