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The Tropas Nómadas (Nomad
Nomad

Nomadic people, , also known as nomads, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than Settler in one location....
 Troops) were an auxiliary regiment to the colonial
Colonialism

Colonialism is the extension of a nation's sovereignty over Territory beyond its borders by the establishment of either settler or exploitation colony in which Indigenous people populations are direct rule, Population transfers, or Genocide....
 army in Spanish Sahara
Spanish Sahara

Spanish Sahara was the name used for the modern territory of Western Sahara when it was ruled as a territory by Spain between 1884 and 1975....
 (today Western Sahara
Western Sahara

Western Sahara is a territory of North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria in the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean on the west....
), from the 1930s until the end of the Spanish
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 presence in the territory in 1975. Composed of Sahrawi
Sahrawi

Most frequently in English language usage, the term Sahrawi is usually used in reference to populations from the disputed Western Sahara territory, sometimes with a nationalist connotation....
 tribesmen, the Tropas Nómadas were equipped with small arms and led by Spanish
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 officers, guarding outposts and sometimes conducting patrols on camel
Camel

Camels are even-toed ungulates within the genus Camelus. The dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and is well known for its healthy low fat milk, and the Bactrian camel has two humps....
back.

First raised in the early 1930s, this force was entitled "Tropas Nómadas del Sahara".






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The Tropas Nómadas (Nomad
Nomad

Nomadic people, , also known as nomads, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than Settler in one location....
 Troops) were an auxiliary regiment to the colonial
Colonialism

Colonialism is the extension of a nation's sovereignty over Territory beyond its borders by the establishment of either settler or exploitation colony in which Indigenous people populations are direct rule, Population transfers, or Genocide....
 army in Spanish Sahara
Spanish Sahara

Spanish Sahara was the name used for the modern territory of Western Sahara when it was ruled as a territory by Spain between 1884 and 1975....
 (today Western Sahara
Western Sahara

Western Sahara is a territory of North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria in the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean on the west....
), from the 1930s until the end of the Spanish
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 presence in the territory in 1975. Composed of Sahrawi
Sahrawi

Most frequently in English language usage, the term Sahrawi is usually used in reference to populations from the disputed Western Sahara territory, sometimes with a nationalist connotation....
 tribesmen, the Tropas Nómadas were equipped with small arms and led by Spanish
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 officers, guarding outposts and sometimes conducting patrols on camel
Camel

Camels are even-toed ungulates within the genus Camelus. The dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and is well known for its healthy low fat milk, and the Bactrian camel has two humps....
back.

First raised in the early 1930s, this force was entitled "Tropas Nómadas del Sahara". It comprised a camel corps, modelled on the French "Mehariste
Mehariste

M?hariste is a French language word that roughly translates to camel cavalry. The word is most commonly used as a designation of military units....
s" and serving as desert police. Later the Tropas Nómadas were partially mechanised but camel detachments remained in service until the 1970s. Most officer plus some NCO
NCO

NCO may refer to:*NAFTA certificate of origin, a customs document for certificate of origin*NCO Group, an international corporation that provides customer service contracting...
s and specialists were Spanish. The "askaris" of the camel units wore white flowing robes and blue turbans. Other indigenous personnel wore khaki uniforms with blue or khaki turban
Turban

The turban is a headgear consisting of a long scarf-like single piece of cloth wound around either the head itself or an inner hat. The word "turban" is a common umbrella term, loosely used in English to refer to several sorts of head wrap....
s.

While the Tropas Nómadas gave effective service during the greater part of the force's history, their loyalty was tested by the outbreak of the indigenous Polisario Front
Polisario Front

The Polisario, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish language abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberaci?n de Sagu?a el Hamra y R?o de Oro is a Sahrawi rebel movement working for the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco....
's rebellion (1973-75). Following the Spanish Government's decision
Madrid Accords

The Madrid Accords, also called Madrid Agreement or Madrid Pact, was a treaty between Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania to end the Spanish presence in the territory of Spanish Sahara, which was until the Madrid Accords' inception a Provinces of Spain and former colony....
 to hand over the territory to Morocco
Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 34 million and an area just under 447,000 km2....
 and Mauritania
Mauritania

Mauritania , officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country in northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west, by Senegal on the southwest, by Mali on the east and southeast, by Algeria on the northeast, and by the Morocco-controlled Western Sahara on the northwest....
 towards the end of 1975, numbers of them deserted. Many of the Tropas Nómadas soldiers are believed to have joined Polisario and Spanish-trained fighters formed the core of the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army
Polisario Front

The Polisario, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish language abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberaci?n de Sagu?a el Hamra y R?o de Oro is a Sahrawi rebel movement working for the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco....
 set up to fight Morocco and Mauritania after the Green March.

In total, several thousand Sahrawis were given military training by the Spanish. In 1974, 1,374 Sahrawis were enrolled in the Spanish army (most of them in the Tropas Nómadas), according to Pazzanita & Hodges, out of a population of some 74,000 indigenous inhabitants of the territory, according to a Spanish census taken that same year.

Policia Territorial

A separate indigenous unit serving with the Spanish colonial government was the Policia Territorial. This gendarmerie
Gendarmerie

A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military body charged with police duties among civilian populations. The members of such a body are called gendarmes....
 corresponded to the Civil Guard
Civil Guard (Spain)

The Guardia Civil is the Spain gendarmerie: it is a police force that has both military and civilian functions. It has foreign peace-keeping missions and maintains military status and is the equivalent of a federal paramilitary police....
 in metropolitan Spain and was commanded by Spanish officers.

After the Spanish evacuation

Former members of these colonial units, and their families, are reported to be entitled to Spanish citizenship and retirement benefits, while some have received political asylum in Spain.

External links

  • -- Veterans' association website, Spanish