Coats of arms of Western Sahara
The territory of Western Sahara is a disputed territory, claimed by:
- Morocco, which controls and administers about 80% of the territory. Currently, the coats of arms of the Moroccan regions of Western Sahara are used in this part of Western Sahara.
- The Polisario Front and the government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic or SADR claim the independence of the territory. The coat of arms of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic are used by these two bodies.
Coat of arms of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
| Coat of arms of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Details | |
| Armiger | Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic |
| Adopted | 1976 |
| Crest | Star and crescent Gules |
| Supporters | Two olive branches Or |
| Motto |
Arabic: حرية ديمقراطية وحدة "Liberty, Democracy, Unity" |
| Other elements | Two crossed rifles with Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic flags hanging from each |
The Coat of arms of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is a symbol created by the Polisario Front, the national liberation movement of Western Sahara. The Polisario Front proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic on February 27, 1976, and both the flag and the coat of arms were adopted as state symbols.
Description
The symbol depicts two crossed rifles with the SADR flag hanging from either Mauser. Centered above them is a red crescent and star, Islamic and Arabic imagery. Surrounding the guns and crescent are two olive branches, one on either side. At the bottom is written in Arabic the Polisario motto "حرية ديمقراطية وحدة" (English: "Liberty, democracy, unity") in black on a red banner. Until June 1991 when it was modified, it also contained a hammer between the rifles.
Coats of arms of Western Sahara regions / Morocco
Coat of arms of Laayoune region  Morocco | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Armiger | Morocco |
| Adopted | 1975 |
| Coat of arms of Dakhla region Morocco | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Armiger | Morocco |
| Adopted | 1979 |
While there is no pro-Moroccan coat of arms of Western Sahara as a whole, there are coats of arms for at least two of the three Moroccan regions of Western Sahara
History
In the late 19th-century, Western Sahara formally became a Spanish colony. After the Green March pressure and the Madrid Accords of 1975, Spain unilaterally disengaged itself leaving the territory to Morocco and Mauritania, who split the territory, giving two thirds to the former, in a movement that was not recognized by the UN. The Polisario Front rejected this illegal move and declared in Bir Lehlou, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) as the state representing an independent Western Sahara.[1]
In 1979, Mauritania signed a peace treaty with the Polisario front, and Morocco annexed the part formerly controlled by Mauritania. A U.N.-brokered ceasefire was signed in 1991 between the two parties, but the sovereignty of the territory remains unresolved pending ongoing peace-talks.[1]
Coat of arms of Spanish Sahara
The Coat of arms of Spanish Sahara was used for the Spanish colony of Spanish Sahara. Its interior portion consisted of a yellow camel, a palm tree, and a banner with blue and white stripes, on a green background. This interior portion was surrounded by a red bordure with four yellow castles and three gray lions rampant.
References
- 1 2 Staff. "CIA - The World Factbook". CIA. Retrieved 13 March 2012.