Flag of Western Sahara
The flag of Western Sahara features three equal horizontal stripes in black, white and green with a red triangle extending from the hoist side and in the centre of the white strip is a red star and crescent. The Tri-colours symbolise the Pan-Arab colours.
The flag was adopted on the 27th of February 1976 by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, however, it was slightly modified in June 1991. The design is attributed to El Uali Mustafá Sayed, the first president of the SADR.
History of the Flag
Before Spanish colonisation, the region did not have a unified flag as it was inhabited by various nomadic Berber tribes.
During Spanish colonisation, the territory was known as Spanish Sahara and used the Spanish colonial flag.
The Polisario Front, a Sahrawi national liberation movement, was established in 1973 to end Spanish colonial rule in Western Sahara.
The flag of Western Sahara was adopted by the Polisario Front on 27 February 1976, when they declared the establishment of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) after Spain withdrew.
Since the 1976 declaration, the flag has been used as the official flag of the SADR.
Controversial
Morocco claims sovereignty over Western Sahara and refers to the region as its “Southern Provinces.”
The SADR is recognised by a number of countries and is a full member of the African Union, although its territory is claimed and largely controlled by Morocco.
The United Nations considers Western Sahara a non-self-governing territory and has been involved in efforts to resolve the conflict through a referendum on independence, which has yet to occur.
