Administrative change

End of the Spanish presence in Western Sahara, 1976

Name: End of the Spanish presence in Western Sahara, 1976
Start: 1976-02-26

26 February 1976

Spain formally ended its presence and disclaimed further international responsibility for administering the Territory.

What happened

Spain told the Secretary-General that it had definitively ended its presence, considered itself exempt from international responsibility for the administration, and regarded decolonisation as incomplete until the Saharan population’s views were validly expressed.[1] The UN Legal Counsel later described the Territory as left in fact under Moroccan and Mauritanian administration.[2]

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

1.
Claim: On 26 February 1976 Spain told the Secretary-General that it had definitively ended its presence in the Territory, considered itself exempt from any international responsibility for its administration, and that decolonisation would culminate when the views of the Saharan population had been validly expressed.
- Permanent Mission of Spain to the United Nations, Letter dated 26 February 1976 from the Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (United Nations, 26 February 1976) link, pp. 2–3. Government perspective or primary official source Source record
2.
Claim: The UN Legal Counsel states that Spain’s departure left the Territory in fact under Moroccan and Mauritanian administration in their respective areas, and that after Mauritania withdrew in 1979 under an agreement with the Frente POLISARIO, Morocco administered the Territory alone. Attributed to UN Legal Counsel (2002)
- United Nations Office of Legal Affairs, Letter dated 29 January 2002 from the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, the Legal Counsel, addressed to the President of the Security Council (United Nations, 12 February 2002) link, para. 7, p. 2. Source record
- United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, MINURSO: Background (United Nations) link, para. 1. Source record