Sahrawis

The Sahrawis are a people native to Western Sahara, a sparsely populated region in the northwest Maghreb. The term Sahrawi refers to inhabitants of the western lands and to diaspora communities tracing their roots to the territory. They are broadly Arab-Berber in ancestry, historically organized around nomadic and semi-nomadic tribal structures. The majority are Sunni Muslims, following the Maliki school, and Hassaniya Arabic is the common language, with Berber influences and some Spanish loanwords in older generations and in place names.

Geography and population distribution: Western Sahara lies along the Atlantic coast, bordered by Morocco and Mauritania. Since the 1970s, a large portion of Sahrawis have lived in refugee camps near Tindouf, Algeria, under the administration of the Polisario Front. In Western Sahara proper, Sahrawi communities exist in areas controlled by Morocco and in more rural or “liberated” zones administered by the Polisario with the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).

History and politics: Western Sahara was a Spanish colony until 1975. After Spain withdrew, Morocco and Mauritania laid claim to the territory; Mauritania withdrew in 1979. Morocco currently controls most of Western Sahara; the Polisario Front proclaimed the SADR in 1976. A UN-brokered ceasefire in 1991 established MINURSO to organize a referendum on self-determination, which has not taken place. SADR is a member of the African Union, and many states recognize SADR, though Morocco disputes the outcome. The political status of Western Sahara remains unresolved.

Economy and society: The region’s economy is constrained by the political stalemate. Western Sahara contains phosphate deposits and rich fishing grounds, while refugee camps rely on international aid. The Sahrawi diaspora sustains culture, crafts, and activism related to independence and self-determination.