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Sahrawi鈥揝panish relations
Map indicating locations of Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Spain

Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Spain

Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic鈥揝pain relations are the current and historical relations between the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (also known as Western Sahara) and Spain.

History

Spanish colonization

Main article: Spanish Sahara

Spanish merchants began arriving to present day Western Sahara as early as the late 1400s. [1] During the Scramble for Africa Spain began occupying land in Western Sahara which was then granted to Spain by the Berlin Conference which allowed Spain to occupy territory from Ras Nouadhibou (Cape Blanc) to Cape Bojador.[ citation needed] In 1884, Emilio Bonelli, head of the Spanish Society of Africanists and Colonists (Sociedad Espa帽ola de Africanistas y Colonistas) traveled to R铆o de Oro and signed treaties with the coastal peoples. [1] Since then, Spain claimed the coastal portions of the territory and tried to claim more inland territory, however, they were hindered by French claims in Mauritania and by partisan belonging to Ma al-'Aynayn. By 1934, Spain occupied the Western Sahara towns of Smara and La G眉era and occupied the two territories of R铆o de Oro and Saguia el-Hamra. [1]

Spanish withdrawal

Main article: History of Western Sahara

In 1956, Morocco obtained independence from France and immediately laid claim to the territories of R铆o de Oro and Saguia el-Hamra in 1957. [1] After Morocco claimed the land, Spanish troops succeeded in repelling Moroccan military incursions into the territories. In 1958, Spain united the territories of R铆o de Oro and Saguia el-Hamra into one and named it "Spanish Sahara". For several decades, Spain's control of the territory became very difficult, especially with Mauritania obtaining its independence in 1960 and claiming Spanish Sahara (Western Sahara) for itself and the fact that phosphate deposits were discovered at Bucraa. [1]

In 1970, a political group was established, calling itself the Polisario Front and made up of mainly native Sahrawi people. In 1974, Spain agreed to hold a referendum on self-determination for Spanish Sahara as originally mandated by the United Nations in 1966, however, the United Nations asked Spain to defer to the International Court of Justice to see if Morocco and Mauritania had claim to the land. In 1974, 鈥淭he Court's conclusion was that the materials and information presented to materials and information presented to it did not establish any tie of territorial it did not establish any tie of territorial sovereignty between the territory of sovereignty between the territory of Western Sahara and the Kingdom of Western Sahara and the Kingdom of Morocco or the Mauritanian entity." [2]

In 1975, Spain agreed to partition part of the territory to Morocco and to Mauritania after it was agreed at the Madrid Accords, however, international protest erupted as it went against the right for Self-determination and the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1514 ( Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples). In November 1975, while Generalissimo Francisco Franco was in his last illness, over 350,000 Moroccans and 20,000 Moroccan troops held the " Green March" into Spanish Sahara to force Spain to hand over the disputed territory. After Spanish withdrawal from Western Sahara, the Western Sahara War began. In 1976 the Polisario Front declared a government-in-exile and named their country the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" (SADR). [1] [3]

Post withdrawal

Since 1975, official governmental relations between Spain and the exiled-government in Algeria of the Polisario Front are nearly non-existent. Since 1997, there have been several United Nations resolutions concerning Western Sahara. In April 1991, the United Nations adopted United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). In 2003, Spain, as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council voted in favor for United Nations Security Council Resolution 1463 and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1495 to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).

For several years, Secretary General of the Polisario Front and President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, paid numerous visits to Spain advocating for SADR independence. In 1992, Mohamed Abdelaziz met with Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonz谩lez. President Abdelaziz also met with Prime Minister Jos茅 Luis Rodr铆guez Zapatero in November 2004. [4] In March 2017, Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis affirmed Spain's support to a solution for the Sahrawi people. [5]

Spanish assistance

Although there are no official relations between Spain and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic; the Spanish government, through the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, donates monetary and humanitarian assistance to Sahrawi refugee camps based in Tindouf Province of Algeria. [6] [7] In 2010, the Spanish aid agency donated US$12 million to the World Food Program in the camps and 200,000 Euros for flood relief which affected the camps in 2015. [8] [9] Humanitarian and development projects are provided also by Asociaci贸n Amal Esperanza, C谩diz, [10] and others humanitarian NGO.

Partner non-governmental organizations

Demonstration in support of the independence of Western Sahara in Madrid; 2012

In Spain, many organizations for support of Sahrawi cause were established. There are Asociaci贸n Amigos del Pueblo Saharaui-Alcobendas, [11] Asociaci贸n Granadina de Amistad con la RASD, [12] Asociaciones de Amigos del Sahara de Valladolid, Cantabria por el S谩hara, [13] Um-Draiga, [14] Amigos del Sahara Libre, [15] Sadicum, [16] CEAS-Sahara, [17] Solidariedade Galega co o Pobo Saharaui, [18] Bir Lehlu, [19] Federaci贸 ACAPS, [20] YALAH, [21] Federaci贸n Provincial de C谩diz de Asociaciones Solidarias con el Sahara, [22] and many others. They inform civil society about the problems of the Sahrawi people, they organise a variety of activities, including petitions and Sahrawi support demonstrations.

Diplomatic mission

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Encyclopedia Britannica: Western Sahara
  2. ^ ICJ: Summary of the Summary of the Advisory Opinion of 16 October 1975
  3. ^ BBC: Western Sahara profile
  4. ^ Muere Mohamed Abdelaziz, l铆der del Frente Polisario (in Spanish)
  5. ^ Dastis reitera el apoyo de Espa帽a a una soluci贸n justa en el Sahara (in Spanish)
  6. ^ The Spanish Cooperation supports the Sahrawi refugee population severely hit by the floods
  7. ^ AECID: Poblaci贸n Saharaui (in Spanish)
  8. ^ Spanish Cooperation Agency Continues Support For WFP In The Saharawi Refugee Camps
  9. ^ Inundaciones en los campamentos de refugiados saharauis en Tinduf (in Spanish)
  10. ^ Asociaci贸n Amal Esperanza(in Spanish)
  11. ^ Asociaci贸n Amigos del Pueblo Saharaui (in Spanish)
  12. ^ Asociaci贸n Granadina de Amistad con la RASD (in Spanish)
  13. ^ Cantabria por el S谩hara (in Spanish)
  14. ^ Um-Draiga - Asociaci贸n de Amigos del Pueblo Saharaui en Arag贸n (in Spanish)
  15. ^ ONG Asociaci贸n de Amigos del Sahara libre de la Provincia de Ja茅n por el Retorno Al Sahara Occidental(in Spanish)
  16. ^ Sadicum - Asociaci贸n de Ayuda al Pueblo Saharaui de Chiclana (in Spanish)
  17. ^ Coordinadora Estatal Asociaciones Solidarias con el Sahara (in Spanish)
  18. ^ Solidariedade Galega co o Pobo Saharaui (in Spanish)
  19. ^ Bir Lehlu, Asociaci贸n de ayuda al Pueblo Saharui de Pozuelo de Alatrc贸n (in Spanish)
  20. ^ Federaci贸 ACAPS (in Catalan)
  21. ^ YALAH (in Catalan)
  22. ^ Federaci贸n Provincial de C谩diz de Asociaciones Solidarias con el Sahara (in Spanish)
  23. ^ Sahrawi Delegation in Madrid (in Spanish)
  24. ^ Sahrawi Delegation in Barcelona (in Spanish)
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