Sahara Press Service (SPS) is the multi-lingual official press agency of the
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (; SADR; also romanized with Saharawi; ar, الجمهورية العربية الصحراوية الديمقراطية ' es, República Árabe Saharaui Democrática), also known as Western Sahara, is a ...
, the
government in exile
A government in exile (abbreviated as GiE) is a political group that claims to be a country or semi-sovereign state's legitimate government, but is unable to exercise legal power and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile u ...
of the
Western Sahara
Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while ...
. The agency mainly report government-related news and current Sahrawi affairs, both from the
liberated territories, the
occupied territories and the
Sahrawi refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for internally displaced pe ...
s in
Tindouf,
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, religi ...
.
History
The Polisario Front recognised the importance of press at an early stage. They took journalists to occupied territories and established the Sahara Press Service at the Sahrawi refugee camps on 29 March 1999 (A
POLISARIO agency press had been founded previously in 1980). The Sahara Press Service Dispatches began to be posted on the internet since April 1999, due to the combined efforts of the Friends of Sahrawi People in
Switzerland and
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
. Among the founders of SPS was the journalist and then SADR Minister of Information
Mohamed Fadel Ismail Ould Es-Sweyih
Mohamed-Fadel Ould Ismail Ould Es-Sweyih (1949 or 1951 – 6 May 2002) was a Sahrawi nationalist politician, member of the Polisario Front. He was a prominent member of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic diplomatic corps, holding several po ...
. Its current director and editor in chief is Saleh Nafee. The Sahara Press Service also releases the El Karama monthly magazine which reports on human rights violations in the region.
Reports were published only in
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
until 2001, when the SPS website was opened. In March 2001, news started to be published also in
Spanish. On April 20, 2003, the news were also published in
English on the website. In 2005, SPS added
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...
to the language options of their site. In September 2010, SPS started releasing a weekly news resume bulletin in
PDF format. On 1 July 2012 news started to be published in
Russian as well.
On 25 January 2012, president of the
SADR
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (; SADR; also romanized with Saharawi; ar, الجمهورية العربية الصحراوية الديمقراطية ' es, República Árabe Saharaui Democrática), also known as Western Sahara, is a p ...
Mohamed Abdelaziz inaugurated the new headquarters of the press agency on the
Sahrawi refugee camps.
See also
*
RASD TV
External links
SPS homepage
References
{{Reflist
News agencies based in the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Organizations established in 1999
Multilingual news services
Arab news agencies
Arab mass media