Anniversary of the Recovery Oued Ed-Dahab – August 14, 2026

History of Anniversary of the Recovery Oued Ed-Dahab

The Spanish Empire was one of the largest empires in history, colonizing the Americas, the Caribbean, and parts of Africa. Spain colonized a territory of Africa called Western Sahara — then named the Spanish Sahara — from 1884 to 1976. The Spanish-American war which occurred in 1898 ended Spain’s hold over the Philippines, Cuba, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Western Sahara was the last holding of the Spanish Empire. After pressure from Morocco and the United Nations, Spain gave up its hold over Western Sahara. Western Sahara previously belonged to Morocco before the occupation. When Morocco gained independence in 1956, it attempted to reclaim this territory.

Mauritania, Morocco, and Spain fought for claim over the land. This initiated the Western Sahara War which lasted from 1975 to 1991, with Mauritania withdrawing in 1979. The war lasted almost 16 years and ended at a stalemate. It ended with Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania signing the Madrid Accords — a treaty that concluded Spain’s colonization of the land. The International Court of Justice rules that neither Mauritania nor Morocco can claim sovereignty over the territory. The Polisario Front and Morocco decided on a ceasefire.

Western Sahara is now a disputed territory. Morocco occupies the remaining 20% of the land, which is controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. The United Nations does not recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over a substantial chunk of this territory. Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab, which lies under this disputed territory, is one of Morocco’s 12 regions. Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab is 50,880 km² in size and home to 142,955 people. Its capital is Daklah, although, under the Spanish occupation, it was known as Villa Cisneros. Oued Ed-Dahab was officially returned to Morocco on August 14, 1979.