Spanish Sahara - Modern History

Modern History

Tribal uprisings meant that Spain found it difficult to control parts of the territory's hinterland until 1934. With its independence in 1956, Morocco laid claim on Spanish Sahara as part of its alleged pre-colonial territory. In 1957, the Moroccan Army of Liberation nearly occupied the small territory of Sidi-Ifni, north of Spanish Sahara, during the Ifni War. The Spanish sent a regiment of paratroopers from the nearby Canary Islands and were able to repel the attacks. With the assistance of the French, control was soon re-established in the area. Subsequently, several punitive actions were undertaken to prevent future military actions. Some of the previously nomadic inhabitants of Spanish Sahara were forced to settle in certain areas and the rate of urbanization was increased. In the same year, Spain united the territories of Saguia el Hamra and Río de Oro to form the province of Spanish Sahara, while ceding the provinces of Tarfaya and Tantan (Cape Juby strip) to Morocco.

In the 1960s, Morocco continued to claim Spanish Sahara and succeeded in having it added to the list of territories to be decolonized. In 1969, Spain returned Ifni to Morocco, but continued to retain Spanish Sahara.

In 1967, Spanish rule was challenged by a protest movement secretly organized by the Moroccan government: the Harakat Tahrir. After its suppression in the 1970 Zemla Intifada, the Polisario Front was formed in 1973 as Sahrawi nationalism reverted to its militant origins. The Front's guerrilla army grew rapidly and Spain lost effective control over most of the territory by early 1975. An attempt at sapping the strength of Polisario by founding a political rival, the Partido de Unión Nacional Saharaui (PUNS), met with little success.

Spain proceeded to co-opt tribal leaders by setting up the Djema'a, a political institution loosely based on traditional Sahrawi tribal leaderships. The Djema'a members were hand-picked by the authorities, but given privileges in return for rubber-stamping Madrid's decisions.

In the winter of 1975, just before the death of its long-time leader Francisco Franco, Spain was confronted with an intensive campaign of territorial demands from Morocco and, to a lesser extent, from Mauritania, that culminated in the Marcha Verde ("Green March"). After negotiating the Madrid Accords with Morocco and Mauritania, Spain withdrew its forces and settlers from the territory and Morocco and Mauritania took control of the region. Mauritania later surrendered its claim after fighting an unsuccessful war against the Polisario Front. Morocco then began fighting against the Polisario Front, although a cease-fire came into effect in 1991. Today, the sovereignty of the territory remains under dispute.