As of March 2006, the decades-old dispute between Morocco and the Polisario Liberation Front over the Western Sahara region continues. A referendum on the future of the territory, a former Spanish colony, was scheduled for January 1992 under U.N. auspices; however, the referendum has yet to be held. A U.N.-brokered cease fire and settlement plan went into effect on September 6, 1991 although a political settlement is still absent. Recently, there has been increased interest in Oil exploration contracts in areas offshore Western Sahara. The legality of these activities will likely remain in question until the status of Western Sahara is permanently settled.