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29:
590:
685:(Mauritania) congress to denounce the Moroccan invasion, declare support for Polisario and dissolve the Djema'a, so it would not be possible to exploit the body for political purposes. Later that year, however, the Moroccan government convened a meeting of Djema'a members in Morocco to declare support for its
484:, among other things, and also settled disputes between members of the tribe. Sometimes, a larger assembly known as the Ait Arbein (Council of Forty) would be gathered, composed of elders from several tribes, to organize the community against foreign invasion or other such supratribal concerns.
628:
The members of the Djemaa often had status within tribes, but were not necessarily considered authentic representatives by the tribe membership. The Djema'a had little effective power, but was occasionally consulted by the
Spanish military governors, and allowed to send representatives to
719:
Although neither side recognized the Djema'a's authority when it was operative, denouncing it as a puppet of Spain, both
Polisario and Morocco still use these instances of alleged Djema'a support as an argument for independence or annexation in the still ongoing Western Sahara conflict.
522:
invaded the territory in 1884, the Djema'as remained very active, but as the
Spanish Army gradually extended its control and subdued the tribes, resistant Djema'a leaderships were killed or jailed, while others were coerced or bribed into cooperation with the colonizers. The
440:
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authorities ran the process and in effect selected the candidates. The first round of elections were held between July 14 and August 20, 1967, and the Djema'a was inaugurated on
September 11 in
426:
345:
200:
633:. Its primary function was to provide the occupation with a facade of legality in the eyes of the Sahrawi population, drawing on traditions such as the tribal Djema'a and the Ait Arbein.
566:(see below) has generally taken a hostile attitude to tribalism, arguing that it is an outdated and antidemocratic model of governance, and actively campaigned against tribalism in the
511:
had ruled the
Sahrawis since they first appeared in the area in the Middle Ages, but a combination of colonization and modernization has gradually eroded its hold on the population.
149:
554:. Tribal traditions and divisions remain strong in Sahrawi society, however, although the formal system of Djema'a has largely been destroyed by the appearance of modern states.
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which followed, represented something of a last stand of the traditional tribal society against colonization. In the 1950s, tribal authority was slowly eroding due to
228:
700:
Even if there had been, the Djema'a had previously been dissolved by majority decision, and thus the
Moroccan rump, Djema'a possessed no political legitimacy.
577:. Morocco has generally been content to extract allegiance from tribal elders in areas controlled by it, and otherwise ignored it. In Mauritania, the Sahrawi-
673:. After the joint Moroccan-Mauritanian invasion of Western Sahara in late 1975, the Djema'a was dispersed in the mass exodus of refugees that followed.
215:
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645:(PUNS), which absorbed many of the Djema'a's members, and most of its political functions. Without Spanish backing, and with
394:
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There was never a full congregation present, (they were less than a half of the total members) so there was no
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In 1974–75, the Djema'a lost in importance, as Spain set up a new organization in support of its policies, the
174:
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37:
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362:
119:
54:
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The exact organization of the Djema'a varied from tribe to tribe, but it generally incorporated both old
268:
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declaring his intent to release the territory, many of the Djema'a members hastily defected to the
480:, composed of elders and elected leaders. It organized war efforts, raiding parties, lawmaking and
180:
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662:
258:
761:
746:
654:
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589:
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A majority of its membership (67 of 102) voted on
October 12, 1975 in the Polisario-backed
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politics were for the first time organized in a modern political party, the
528:
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of the territory. This was contested by the
Polisario, which argued that:
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law. Women served on the Djema'a in at least some of the
Sahrawi tribes.
658:
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war against the
Spanish presence. A smaller number also left for
621:. A second round Djema'a was elected in January 1971, and as the
492:
22:
716:, intended to replace the Djema'a as a Sahrawi ruling body.
669:
where they were presented as backers of Mauritanian rule in
661:, to support that country's claims to Western Sahara as its
653:, a rebel movement which was involved in a rapidly growing
457:(or Djemaa, meaning "Congregation" or "Gathering" in
573:
and the areas of Western Sahara ruled by the exiled
581:communities are still strongly tribally organized.
704:On February 27, 1976 the independence movement in
605:elders created in May 1967 by the authorities in
625:uprising began in 1973, it was also the last.
756:Anthony G. Pazzanita and Tony Hodges (1994),
546:, accelerated this process. By 1967, Sahrawi
434:
8:
538:Harsh Spanish repressive measures after the
613:. Djema'a officials were elected, but the
441:
427:
84:
743:Western Sahara: The Roots of a Desert War
601:The Djema'a was also a ruling council of
73:Learn how and when to remove this message
36:This article includes a list of general
758:Historical Dictionary of Western Sahara
593:The building of the Spanish Djema'a in
87:
584:
495:traditions and based its practices on
473:The Djema'a was the leading body in a
527:uprising in the early 1900s, and the
7:
468:
358:Political status of Western Sahara
42:it lacks sufficient corresponding
14:
714:Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic
558:Government attitudes to tribalism
97:
27:
677:Contending claims of legitimacy
461:) can refer to two things in a
585:Djema'a: Spanish colonial body
507:An enduring social structure,
1:
643:Sahrawi National Union Party
16:For the Algerian town, see
803:
782:Politics of Western Sahara
469:Djema'a: tribal leadership
15:
353:International recognition
155:Bouchraya Hammoudi Bayoun
253:Administrative divisions
175:Sahrawi National Council
745:, Lawrence Hill Books (
363:Western Sahara conflict
57:more precise citations.
598:
535:and new ways of life.
378:Diplomatic missions of
201:Constitutional Council
592:
269:Sahrawi refugee camps
741:Tony Hodges (1983),
368:ICJ Advisory Opinion
90:Politics of the SADR
760:, Scarecrow Press (
730:Sahrawi nationalism
671:Tiris al-Gharbiyya
663:Southern Provinces
599:
712:, proclaimed the
544:forced settlement
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395:Visa requirements
346:Foreign relations
288:Recent elections
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575:Sahrawi republic
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736:Further reading
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683:Ain Ben Tili
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542:, including
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533:urbanization
525:Ma al-Aynayn
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454:
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380: /
181:Hamma Salama
113:Constitution
69:
60:
41:
637:Dissolution
548:nationalist
400:Visa policy
382:to the SADR
179:President:
169:Legislature
143:Brahim Gali
55:introducing
776:Categories
687:annexation
667:Mauritania
529:rebellions
259:Free Zones
38:references
710:Polisario
655:guerrilla
564:Polisario
509:tribalism
491:customs,
482:diplomacy
465:context.
453:The term
282:Elections
235:Parties:
195:Judiciary
138:President
132:Executive
724:See also
619:El Aaiún
615:colonial
609:, today
595:El Aaiún
540:Ifni War
390:Passport
229:Politics
659:Morocco
603:Sahrawi
579:Moorish
568:Tindouf
503:Decline
497:Islamic
475:Sahrawi
455:Djema'a
51:improve
764:
749:
695:quorum
647:Franco
631:Madrid
520:France
514:After
489:Berber
459:Arabic
40:, but
18:Djamaa
516:Spain
478:tribe
762:ISBN
747:ISBN
562:The
518:and
493:Arab
328:2023
323:2020
318:2016
306:2023
301:2019
296:2016
778::
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442:e
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