Spain approves citizenship for Sahrawis born under Spanish rule

Live updates

1. 28d ago

   Spanish Senate amends law on Sahrawi citizenship

   The Spanish Senate has amended a bill granting citizenship to Sahrawis born under Spanish rule, removing the direct route to citizenship but allowing them to apply after two years of legal residence. The amendments, led by the Popular Party, aim to expand citizenship rights and expedite their acquisition. The bill now returns to the Justice Commission for debate.

   Why it matters

   This development affects individuals born in Western Sahara before September 29, 1977, and their direct descendants. The original bill, approved by Spain's lower house, had removed residence requirements for those born under Spanish colonial rule. The changes come amid ongoing discussions on the status of Sahrawis in Spain.

   What is confirmed

   • The Spanish Popular Party delivered amendments in the Senate to a bill granting Sahrawi nationality.
   • Sahrawis from the Moroccan Sahara can apply for citizenship after two years of legal residence.
   • The goal of this amendment is to expand citizenship rights and expedite their acquisition.

   What to watch next

   • The Justice Commission's debate on the amended bill
   • The government's determination of how to prove Sahrawi status
   • The implementation of the new citizenship requirements
   Sources used for this update (2)

   1. jarayid.com — Spanish Senate refuses Sahrawi citizenship - jarayid.com
   2. www.elconstitucional.es — The PP changes the law in the Senate to grant nationality to ...
   confidence 100%
2. 30d ago

   Spain approves citizenship for Sahrawis born under Spanish rule

   Spain's lower house has approved legislation granting citizenship to individuals born in Western Sahara before September 29, 1977, and their direct descendants, removing residence requirements for those born under Spanish colonial rule.

   Why it matters

   This move is framed by Madrid as a correction of colonial injustice. The law may provide European mobility and social rights to Sahrawis, but critics argue it creates a political foothold for Spain in a territory it abandoned nearly 50 years ago.

   What is confirmed

   • Spain has approved legislation granting citizenship to individuals born in Western Sahara before September 29, 1977, and their direct descendants.
   • Equatorial Guinea nationals can apply for Spanish citizenship after two years' legal residence and passing Instituto Cervantes tests.

   Still unconfirmed

   • The PP party proposes granting nationality to Sahrawis after two years of residence in Spain.

   What to watch next

   • The Spanish Senate's decision on the PP party's proposal
   • Implementation of the approved legislation
   • Reactions from the Polisario Front and other stakeholders
   Sources used for this update (3)

   1. marfourlaw.com — Spanish Nationality for Sahrawis: Spain Advances New Proposal
   2. yen.com.gh — Spain Confirms Equatorial Guinea Is the Only African Country ...
   3. www.infobae.com — El PP plantea en el Senado dar la nacionalidad a los ...
   confidence 80%
3. 45d ago

   Spain expands citizenship rights to Sahrawis and their descendants

   The Spanish lower house approved legislation granting Spanish citizenship to individuals born in Western Sahara before September 29, 1977, and their direct descendants. This law removes residence requirements for those born under Spanish colonial rule. Madrid frames the move as a correction of colonial injustice. While some within the Polisario Front orbit welcome the measure for the associated European mobility and social rights, critics argue the law creates a political foothold for Spain in a territory it abandoned nearly 50 years ago.

   Why it matters

   Spain ended its colonial administration of Western Sahara in 1977. The territory remains a point of contention between Morocco, which claims sovereignty, and the Algeria-sponsored Polisario Front.

   What is confirmed

   • The Spanish parliament approved a law granting citizenship to Sahrawis born under Spanish rule before September 1977.
   • The legislation extends citizenship eligibility to the direct descendants of those born before the 1977 cutoff.
   • The colonial administration of Western Sahara ended on September 29, 1977.

   Still unconfirmed

   • The citizenship law serves as a colonial Trojan horse to reopen a legal and political foothold in Western Sahara.
   • Polisario activists prefer Spanish passports to exit separatist-administered camps in Algeria.

   What to watch next

   • Official diplomatic response from the Moroccan government
   • Number of citizenship applications filed by descendants
   • Legal challenges regarding the status of the territory's administration
   Sources used for this update (3)

   1. russpain.com — Tesh Sidi warns of AI threat after Sahrawi citizenship law passes
   2. northafricapost.com — Spanish citizenship offer exposes Polisario’s hypocrisy
   3. www.moroccoworldnews.com — Ghost of Empire: Spain’s Sahrawi Citizenship Law Is a Colonial Trojan Horse
   confidence 90%
4. 48d ago

   Spain Approves Citizenship Law for Western Saharans

   Spain's parliament has backed a new citizenship law allowing Sahrawis born under Spanish rule before 1977 to acquire Spanish nationality without any residence requirement. The legislative move applies to an estimated population of up to 200,000 individuals from Western Sahara. Lawmakers supporting the measure describe the policy as settling a lingering moral debt to the people of the territory following the end of the Spanish colonial administration. However, financial analysts and observers warn that the decision is expected to spark fresh diplomatic tensions with Morocco, which claims sovereignty over the region.

   Why it matters

   Western Sahara was administered by Spain until 1975, leaving behind complex questions of nationality and sovereignty that persisted for decades. The newly approved law creates a direct legal pathway for aging generations born during the colonial period to claim rights denied to them after Spain withdrew. This intervention alters the diplomatic dynamics of the region, touching sensitive geopolitical nerves between European and North African capitals.

   What is confirmed

   • Spain's parliament has backed a citizenship law for Western Saharans born before 1977.
   • The citizenship measure applies to Sahrawis born under Spanish rule.
   • The law will allow up to 200,000 Sahrawis to receive citizenship without requiring residence.
   • The PNV stated that the nationality law repairs a moral debt with the people of Western Sahara.

   Still unconfirmed

   • The new citizenship law will spark fresh tensions with Morocco.

   What to watch next

   • Official diplomatic responses or retaliatory measures from the Moroccan government
   • Implementation details and application procedures released by Spanish authorities
   Sources used for this update (8)

   1. Reuters — Spain approves citizenship for Sahrawis born under Spanish rule
   2. Financial Times — Spain’s new citizenship law to spark fresh tensions with Morocco
   3. Al Jazeera — Spain’s Parliament backs citizenship for Western Saharans born before 1977
   4. Euronews.com — Spanish parliament backs citizenship law for Western Saharans
   5. dw.com — Spanish lawmakers back citizenship for Saharawis
   6. Demócrata — PNV holds that the Sahrawi nationality law repairs a moral debt with the people of Western Sahara.
   7. Al Jazeera — ‘A historic day’: Spain moves closer to citizenship for Western Saharans
   8. IMI Daily — Spain Moves to Grant Citizenship to Up to 200,000 Sahrawis, No Residence Required
   confidence 95%