Sahrawi nationalism (Arabic:القومية الصحراوية) is apolitical ideology that seeksself-determination of theSahrawi people, the indigenous population ofWestern Sahara. It has historically been represented by thePolisario Front.[1] It came as a reaction against Spanish colonialist policies imposed from 1958 on, and subsequently in reaction to the Mauritanian and Moroccaninvasions of 1975.[1]
Its main opposing ideologies have beenSpanish colonialism (Spanish Sahara, 1884–1975),Mauritanian irredentism (Tiris al-Gharbiyya, 1975–1979) andMoroccan irredentism (Southern Provinces, 1975-present).
In 1884,Spain set up a colony on theRio de Oro bay (Villa Cisneros, current dayDakhla). Despite considering the entire territory of current-day Western Sahara as its possession, beyond a handful of coastal settlements, Spain did not have effective control over the desert hinterland due to its harsh climatic conditions and the presence of small,nomadic groups, among whom intertribal conflicts were frequent.[1]
In 1957, Sahrawis began to enroll in theMoroccan Army of Liberation and launched attacks against French positions in southwesternAlgeria and the extreme north ofMauritania, capitalizing on Western Sahara’s strategic location. In Western Sahara itself, by the end of 1957, the Sahrawi contingent of the guerilla movement forced the Spanish army to retreat nearSidi Ifni.[1]
In December 1966, theGeneral Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution and proposed an UN-supervisedself-determination referendum in Western Sahara.[2]
In 1971, university students began to organize theMovement for the Liberation of Saguia el Hamra and Wadi el Dhahab, formally constituted as thePolisario Front in 1973. Ten days after its founding, the Polisario Front launched aguerilla war against the Spanish.[1]
King Hassan II of Morocco rallied political support and announced that his country would oppose independence as an option in the Western Sahara referendum. In response, Spain stalled and postponed the long-planned self-determination referendum, which caused dismay among the Sahrawi population, especially the youth.[1]
In 1975, theUnited Nations sent anofficial mission to Western Sahara to investigate the neighboring countries' claims over the territory and the will of the Sahrawi population. They reported that "the population, or at least almost all those persons encountered on the mission, was categorically for independence" and that the Polisario Front was widely seen as a dominant, legitimate political force in the territory. This was attested by pro-Polisario demonstrations in many locations that the United Nations mission visited.[3]
Still in 1975,Morocco,Mauritania, and Spain signed theMadrid Accords, which divided Western Sahara’s territory between Morocco (northern two-third) and Mauritania (southern one-third). In 1979, Mauritania withdrew its troops from the territory and, in 1984, officially recognized theSahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).[3]
Following Mauritania’s withdrawal, Morocco occupied the rest of the territory of Western Sahara. During the 1980s, little changed in the conflict between Morocco and the Sahrawi population. Meanwhile, Sahrawi nationalists and the United Nations agreed that a referendum on self-determination would be the best way to put an end to themilitary conflict between Morocco and the SADR. The vote would have been between complete independence and integration with Morocco. At the time, Morocco saw this as the best way to legitimate its claim and hold on the territory.[4] In 1991, the UN established theUnited Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), which paved the way for a cease-fire agreement between Morocco and the SADR.[5] However, the planned referendum never became a reality.
According toHuman Rights Watch, as of 2023, “draconian laws [are] used by prosecutors [of the Moroccan government] to punish even peaceful advocacy for self-determination.”[6]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Statelessnationalism in Africa | |
|---|---|
 | ThisWestern Sahara article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byadding missing information. |
