Administration Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic President Morocco
Description of Work:
Mohamed Abdelaziz has served as the Secretary General of the Polisario Front and President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic since 1976.

The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) is a government in exile founded by the Polisario Front on February 27, 1976. It currently controls about 20% of its claimed territory, the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara; Morocco controls and administers the majority of the territory as its Southern Provinces. Referring to the Moroccan provinces as 'Occupied Territory,' Polisario as the SADR claims control over a zone largely bordering Mauritania, described by Polisario as "the Free Zone," although characterized by Morocco as a buffer zone.

Following the Spanish evacuation of Spanish Sahara, Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania signed the Madrid Accords, leading to both Morocco and Mauritania moving in to annex it. Neither state gained international recognition and war ensued with the independence-seeking Polisario Front, claiming to represent the Sahrawi indigenous people. The creation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic was announced in Bir Lehlou in Western Sahara on February 27, 1976, as the Polisario declared the need for a new entity to fill what they considered a political void left by the departing Spanish colonizers.The highest office of the republic is the President of Western Sahara, now Mohammed Abdelaziz.

The SADR acts as a government administration in the Sahrawi refugee camps located in the Tindouf Province of western Algeria. It is headquartered in Camp Rabouni, south of Tindouf, although some official events have taken place on Western Saharan territory in the provisional capital of Bir Lehlou and Tifariti, both in Polisario controlled territories. Effective independence is unclear with Polisario and Algerian authorities claiming Algerian authorities respect the autonomy of the government in exile, and stay outside the Sahrawi refugee camps. This, however, is disputed by former members of Polisario and questioned by outside observers. Several foreign aid agencies, including the UNHCR, are continually active in the camps.

(Information found at wikipedia.com and bbc.co.uk)