ESP – ENG
On February 27, 1976, the Polisario Front proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in Western Sahara, the last African territory under colonial occupation.
The Polisario Front had been created three years earlier to combat Spanish rule over the territory. Taking advantage of Spain’s weakened position, Morocco invaded Western Sahara in November 1975.
On February 26, 1976, Spain abandoned the Western Sahara. In response, the Polisario Front, supported by Algeria, proclaimed the independent republic and began armed struggle against Morocco’s and Mauritania’s claims to the territory.
After defeating and signing agreements with Mauritania, the Polisario Front maintained its resistance against Morocco, despite the enemy’s superiority and the war crimes committed. A large part of the Sahrawi people ended up displaced in refugee camps in Algeria.
Amid failed mediation attempts by the United Nations, Morocco has continued to violate the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination, while building walls to isolate the territory and advancing in the exploitation of its natural resources.
The Polisario Front and the Sahrawi people have combined different forms of resistance. But their desire to achieve independence is non-negotiable.
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Text: Ricardo Vaz. Illustration: César Mosquera.