Western sahara is the last chapter of a story that began in the wake of world war ii, when the worlds colonial empires started to break apart. While spain was the colonial ruler of the territory of western sahara, it did not have effective control over the people of the area. Morocco is committed to resolving the western sahara. The history of the people of sanhaja berber and arab blood who inhabit western sahara goes back hundreds of years. The united nations operation in the western sahara. Western sahara the boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the united nations. Pdf the western sahara conflict pal wrange academia. Western sahara is thus not a case of frozen conflict but rather, of a war of attrition. This war between the sahrawi indigenous polisario front and morocco has resulted in thousands of displaced sahwaris and an estimated 20,000 deaths here is whats going on in western sahara. This was a report summarizing the reports that had been submitted by the secretarygeneral to the security council on the situation concerning western sahara from 1 july 2004 to 30 june 2005. During spanish colonial rule, sahrawi women actively provided financial and physical support to the resistance movements during the 1930s, 1950s, and the late 1960s. Since the 1970s, morocco and the independenceseeking popular front for the. In the xith century, a confederation of tribes, the veiled sanhaja, formed the almoravid state.
Books on western sahara african history from broughs books. An authentic narrative of the loss of the american brig commerce, wrecked on the western coast of africa, in the month of. The fourapproach dilemma of the western sahara conflict. How the court works financial assistance to parties. Western saharan history find out more explore book your trip books features the saharawi people who live in the western sahara are largely descended from arab tribes who moved into the area in the fifteenth century, and established themselves definitively with victory over the indigenous sanhaja berbers in the 164474 char bouba war. The right to selfdetermination as a peremptory norm in international law 1 2. Frontiers of the western sahara confirmed by france and spain. Moroccan planes bombard sahrawi civilians fleeing the conflict with napalm and cluster bombs.
This was a resolution that referred to the continued occupation of western sahara by morocco. The conflict in western sahara how does law protect in war. There is also a significant presence of berber language speakers in the northern parts of the territory of western. Guerra del sahara occidental was an armed struggle between the sahrawi indigenous polisario front and morocco between 1975 and 1991, being the most significant phase of the western sahara conflict. Dynamics of intergroup conflicts in the western sahara anouar boukhars. Pdf extended abstract the disputed territory of western sahara has long been.
Western sahara is a territory in north africa bordered by algeria, mauritania and morocco, inhabited by moroccan and minority indigenous sahrawi populations. The third chapter describes the historical background of the conflict and an. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. In the decades after the war, france spun off about two dozen countries, including. I have explored elements of moroccos push to dominate the narrative about western sahara as part of. After spain withdrew from its former colony of spanish sahara in 1976, morocco annexed the northern twothirds of western sahara and claimed the rest of the territory in 1979, following mauritanias withdrawal. Fanack home morocco past to present war of words over western sahara. However, there was little european contact with the region until the 19th cent. Jan 11, 2018 a little known conflict has been going on in the small north african country of western sahara. Abdelaziz, has tried to establish a sovereign state for the disputed.
Ban kimoon attempts coup on uns legitimacy in the western sahara. A history of the western sahara conflict pambazuka news. Bc portuguese navigators reached cape bojador on the northern coast of presentday western sahara in 1434. Timeline of key events in the history of western sahara december 20 pepi, eda p. This page was last edited on 2 february 2020, at 11. Though few historical records are left from that period, western sahara s modern history has its roots linked to some nomadic groups living under berber tribal rule and in contact with the roman empire such as the sanhaja group, and the introduction of islam and. Jul 30, 2014 the complex situation of the disputed territory of western sahara explained. Below, youll find information on early independence efforts, the green march and moroccan occupation, the war between.
The conflict originated from an insurgency by the polisario front against spanish colonial forces from 1973 to 1975 and the subsequent western sahara war against morocco between 1975 and 1991. The western sahara, or former spanish sahara, is an expanse of desert measuring over 260,000 square kilometers, bordered by morocco, algeria and mauritania. Thus the court did not find any legal ties of such a nature as might affect the application of the general assemblys 1960 resolution 1514 xv containing the declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples in the decolonization of western sahara and, in particular, of the principle of selfdetermination. This monograph offers a brief overview and analysis of the history of the armed conflict in the western sahara, stressing developments of relevance to the u. Western saharan refugees in the tindouf area of southern algeria. Latest developments western sahara international court of. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. Western sahara map geography of western sahara map of. Western sahara is the only nonselfgoverning territory on the african continent still awaiting the completion of its process of decolonization and, as such, it has been listed by the committee established for the implementation of the declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples for half a century. This is a short history of africa excluding egypt, ethiopia and dutch and british south africa, which are the subjects of separate histories. Tens of thousands of sahrawis take refuge in tindouf. Referendum and resistance in western sahara western sahara is the last chapter of a story that began in the wake of world war ii, when the worlds colonial empires started to break apart. Part of the history of national flags series from flagmakers flag of western sahara a brief history where in the world trivia most countries see the tricolour flag as the flag of western sahara but this is only the flag flown in part of the. Western sahara, territory occupying an extensive desert atlanticcoastal area of northwest africa.
The western sahara conflict, now in its 35th year, is a conflict that challenges concepts of territorial sovereignty and selfdetermination and of the alleged linkage between them. The conflict in western sahara began in 1975 after spain withdrew as a colonial power, allowing morocco to occupy the region where it staked a historical. The terrain is mostly low flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast. Links site search document search contact the court history members of the court. The territory now known as the western sahara became a spanish possession. Western sahara simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The history of western sahara can be traced back to the times of carthaginian explorer hanno the navigator in the 5th century bc.
The settlement plan, as approved by the security council. The fourapproach dilemma of the western sahara conflict mohammed cherkaoui 74,000 sahrawis who were listed on the spanish census of 1974, and insisted on adding up to 120,000 moroccans to the list. Special political and decolonization committee specpol. Moroccan kings rule over the territory currently known as the western sahara. Pdf war and insurgency in the western sahara geoffrey. A former spanish colony, it was annexed by morocco in 1975. Some of the history of these countries, however, is naturally mentioned in this history of the rest of africa but is kept to the minimum needed to make the rest comprehensible. The western sahara conflict is an ongoing conflict between the polisario front and the kingdom of morocco. Though few historical records are left from that period, western saharas modern history has its roots linked to some nomadic groups such as the sanhaja group, and the introduction of islam and the arabic language at the end of the 8th century ad. Oauau and the question of western sahara pambazuka news. Summaries western sahara international court of justice. On april 11, 2007 morocco presented its historic initiative for the western sahara to the united nations, the moroccan autonomy initiative for negotiating an autonomy statute for the sahara region. Pdf the prehistory of western sahara in a regional context.
Get all the information you need and updates about western sahara, morocco autonomy plan, the polisario history and updates with morocco world news. Fact 1 western sahara is mainly a desert territory in northwest africa. Army and to american and regional strategic interests since moroccos independence in. Trt world and agencies in 1975, colonial power spain, that had governed the western sahara, left the region. Algeria and the western sahara dispute the maghreb center. Latest developments western sahara international court. Fact 2 the languages spoken in western sahara are hassaniya, arabic and moroccan arabic. Western sahara is a sparselypopulated area of mostly desert situated on the northwest coast of africa. The cultural history of the sahara is intimately related to the existence of a. The almoravids were pious sanhaja marabouts, who left the sahara to go north where they conquered morocco.
Frozen star kevin macleod creative commons licence. The kingdom of morocco and the polisario front independence movement, with its sahrawi arab democratic republic sadr government, both want control of the territory. Referendum and resistance in western sahara western sahara is the last chapter of a story that began in the wake of world war ii, when the worlds colonial. When spain began to colonise the area from 1884, western sahara was inhabited by these nomadic peoples, who were politically and socially organised in tribes and under chiefs competent to represent them. Secretary general ban kimoon to refugee camps for people displaced by the western sahara conflict has stirred up tensions in the 40year dispute. History of national flags series from flagmakers flag of. On 10 april, council members met in consultations to discuss minurso and the second roundtable of the parties in geneva that occurred in march.
Western sahara has never been a nation in the modern sense of the word. What future for africas last colony by toby shelley hardcover. Council members were briefed by special representative of the secretarygeneral colin stewart and personal envoy horst kohler. This war between the sahrawi indigenous polisario front and morocco has resulted in thousands of. The complex situation of the disputed territory of western sahara explained. Arab democratic republic sadr and raises the flag of western sahara. The history of the western sahara a timeline the sovereignty of the western sahara remains the subject of a dispute between morocco and the polisario front, a separatist group based in southern algeria. Modern standard arabic and spanish, the former colonial language, are the official languages of the polisario front, based in tindouf, algeria. Sahara occidental is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the maghreb region of north and west africa, partially controlled by the selfproclaimed sahrawi arab democratic republic.
The right of selfdetermination versus territorial integrity 3 4. The conflict in western sahara began in 1975 after spa jstor. History there is evidence of trade between the western sahara and europe by the 4th cent. By situating the conflict in its historical and geopolitical context, an international panel of authors deftly shed light on the origins of the problem, those associated with prolonging. Western sahara, located south of morocco is an occupied territory in north africa, and is a colony of spain that has been on the united nations list of nonselfgoverning territories since 1963 the bafour were among the earliest inhabitants of the western sahara, and were followed by the serer and some arabian tribes, before being replaced completely by berberspeaking populations that. In april amnesty international reported the government expelled or denied access to western sahara to several international observers and lawyers. The right to selfdetermination as a fundamental human right 2 3. Morocco bases its claim of sovereignty over western sahara on precolonial history, when moroccan rulers intermittently exercised varying degrees of control. Part of the territory striped is governed by morocco.
The history of the western sahara morocco on the move. Western sahara international law oxford bibliographies. In the contemporary history of western sahara, women have occupied central roles and been highly represented in the political sphere. Several of these nationstates did not even exist earlier and if they did exist. There is evidence of trade between the western sahara and europe by the 4th cent. Spain acquired its sovereignty over western sahara not because it was a land without an owner, terra nullius, but through agreements concluded with local rulers. As a resource for activists, journalists, and scholars interested in learning more about the western sahara conflict, weve compiled an extensive timeline tracing the history of the territory from to spanish colonization in 1884 all the way to the hunger strikes of early 2014. It became a protectorate of spain in the 19th century and was later claimed by morocco, mauritania, and local inhabitants. Perspectives on western sahara comes at a critical time in the long history of the conflict, a time marked by rising insecurity and instability in the region. The sahrawi arab democratic republic sadr is proclaimed by the polisario front in bir lehlu, western sahara. Western sahara is a nonselfgoverning territory on the northwest coast of africa bordered by morocco, mauritania, and algeria. The evolution of us and moroccan policy on western sahara.
Since then it has been the subject of a longrunning territorial dispute between morocco and its indigenous saharawi people, led by the polisario front. Prior to spains colonisation of western sahara, this western part of the sahara desert in northwest africa had been historically inhabited by a society of desert nomads pasturing their herds of. The territory remained disputed between morocco and local forces well into the 21st century. The right to selfdetermination and the uti possidetis iuris principle 4 5.
The disputed western sahara region, which has significant phosphate reserves and offshore fishing, is situated in north africa between morocco, mauritania and algeria. He does this in a sophisticated and eventempered manner. Though few historical records are left from that period, western sahara s modern history has its roots linked to some nomadic groups living under berber tribal rule and in contact with the roman empire such as the sanhaja group and the introduction of islam and. Hassaniya, an arabic dialect, is the native language spoken in western sahara and in the refugee camps in tindouf in algeria. The insurgency led spain to declare in 1975 that it would withdraw from the area. Spain acquired its sovereignty over western sahara not because it was a land without an owner, terra nullius. Historical background of western sahara the settlement of boundary disputes and territorial claims has been a major problem in the afroasian world since the formation of new nationstates after second world war. May 14, 2018 western sahara is a sparselypopulated area of mostly desert situated on the northwest coast of africa. Introduction western sahara is the last colony in africa. Little is known of the prehistory of western sahara, although neolithic new stone age rock engravings in saguia elhamra and in isolated locations in the south suggest that it was occupied by a succession of hunting and pastoral groups, with some agriculturists in favoured locales, prior to a gradual process of. List of books and articles about western sahara conflict.
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