Sahara Press Service
The official multilingual news agency of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Sahara Press Service, commonly abbreviated SPS, is the official multilingual press agency of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. It reports on the government, political institutions, diplomatic activity, and current affairs associated with the Sahrawi national movement and the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Its coverage addresses developments in areas described by Sahrawi authorities as the liberated and occupied territories, as well as conditions in Sahrawi refugee camps around Tindouf, Algeria. The agency was established on 29 March 1999, during the period following the 1991 cease-fire in the Western Sahara War. Its creation was supported by Algeria Press Service and carried out in cooperation with the Swiss Association for a Free and Fair Referendum in Western Sahara, known as ARSO. The project also received practical assistance from groups supporting the Sahrawi cause in Switzerland and Spain. Mohamed Fadel Ismail Ould Es-Sweyih, then a journalist and minister of information of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, was among those associated with its founding. SPS initially distributed reports in French. Its internet publishing expanded in stages: Spanish-language news appeared from 2001, English-language material was added in 2003, Arabic became available in 2005, Russian-language publication began in 2012, and the agency also developed recurring PDF bulletin products. This multilingual approach allows SPS to serve domestic and diaspora audiences while presenting Sahrawi positions to foreign governments, journalists, advocacy organizations, and international institutions. The agency's output is primarily digital news and official information rather than commercial wire-service content. Coverage commonly includes statements by Sahrawi officials, diplomatic meetings, international solidarity activity, developments relating to the Western Sahara conflict, and reports concerning human rights in the territory and refugee camps. SPS also publishes the monthly magazine El Karama, which focuses on human-rights issues in the region. As an official state-linked outlet, its editorial role is closely connected with the public communication needs of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and its political position on self-determination and Western Sahara. On 25 January 2012, Sahrawi president Mohamed Abdelaziz inaugurated new SPS headquarters in the refugee camps. The agency later introduced a redesigned website and logo on 11 October 2023. Its reported director and editor-in-chief is Saleh Nafee. SPS remains an important institution in the Sahrawi information ecosystem, alongside related broadcasters such as RASD TV, and continues to publish through its multilingual website.
History
Sahara Press Service was founded on 29 March 1999 in the political and diplomatic environment created by the 1991 cease-fire in the Western Sahara War. Its establishment was supported by Algeria Press Service and undertaken in cooperation with the Swiss Association for a Free and Fair Referendum in Western Sahara, commonly known as ARSO. Friends of the Sahrawi people in Switzerland and Spain helped the agency begin distributing its material online. Mohamed Fadel Ismail Ould Es-Sweyih, a journalist who was then serving as minister of information of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, was among the figures associated with the agency's creation. SPS began as a French-language service. Its publication model became increasingly international as the agency added Spanish-language reporting in March 2001, English-language reporting on 20 April 2003, and Arabic-language content in 2005. Russian was added on 1 July 2012. The sequence of language expansions reflects the agency's dual purpose: communicating with Sahrawi communities and institutions while presenting Sahrawi political positions and news to international audiences. The agency reports on official Sahrawi government activity, diplomatic engagements, political developments, and events in the territories and refugee camps connected with the Western Sahara conflict. Its reporting framework distinguishes between areas characterized by Sahrawi authorities as liberated or occupied, and it also covers the Sahrawi refugee camps in the Tindouf region of Algeria. Human-rights reporting is an important part of its publishing activity. SPS additionally issues El Karama, a monthly magazine devoted to human-rights violations and related issues in the region. In September 2010, SPS introduced a weekly news-resume bulletin in PDF format, extending its output beyond individual web dispatches and providing a consolidated publication format. On 25 January 2012, Mohamed Abdelaziz inaugurated new SPS headquarters in the Sahrawi refugee camps. The agency's multilingual website continued to serve as its principal public channel. On 11 October 2023, SPS launched a new website and logo, representing a later modernization of its digital presentation. SPS operates as an official press institution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic rather than as an independent commercial newswire. Its reports are therefore closely linked to the public-information and diplomatic communication objectives of the Sahrawi authorities. The agency's current reported director and editor-in-chief is Saleh Nafee. Together with related media institutions such as RASD TV, SPS forms part of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic's broader state media system.
- 2023
Website and logo relaunched
[1]SPS launched a redesigned website and new logo on 11 October.
- 2012
Russian-language publishing begins and new headquarters inaugurated
[1]Russian-language news began in July, while new agency headquarters in the refugee camps were inaugurated in January.
- 2010
Weekly PDF bulletin introduced
[1]SPS began issuing a weekly news-resume bulletin in PDF format in September.
- 2005
Arabic added
[1]Arabic became an additional language option for the agency's website.
- 2003
English-language publishing begins
[1]English-language news became available on the SPS website on 20 April.
- 2001
Spanish-language publishing begins
[1]The agency added Spanish-language news to its online publishing in March.
- 1999
Agency established
[1]SPS was founded on 29 March with support from Algeria Press Service, ARSO, and Sahrawi solidarity organizations in Switzerland and Spain.
Products and positioning
An official Sahrawi public-information and news platform focused on Western Sahara, Sahrawi political affairs, diplomacy, refugee-camp issues, and human-rights reporting, with multilingual distribution for domestic and international audiences.
Online news agency · 1999
SPS multilingual news service
The agency's principal product is a digital stream of official news dispatches covering Sahrawi government activity, diplomacy, the Western Sahara conflict, refugee-camp affairs, and human-rights issues. The service has published in French, Spanish, English, Arabic, and Russian, allowing it to address both Sahrawi audiences and international readers.
Monthly magazine
El Karama
El Karama is a monthly publication associated with SPS that focuses on human-rights violations and related conditions in Western Sahara and the Sahrawi refugee communities. It complements the agency's regular news dispatches with a more dedicated periodical format.
PDF news bulletin · 2010
Weekly news-resume bulletin
Introduced in September 2010, the weekly bulletin consolidates selected news and developments into a recurring PDF publication. It provides a packaged alternative to reading individual SPS web reports.
Brand decisions
2023
Modernize the digital identityOtherBackground
SPS updated its public-facing digital infrastructure and branding after years of multilingual online publication.
Action taken
The agency launched a new website and logo on 11 October 2023.
Aftermath
The relaunch provided SPS with a refreshed online presentation; no financial or audience results are identified in the available material.
2003
Add English-language newsStrategyBackground
English-language distribution offered SPS a way to communicate with a wider global media, diplomatic, and advocacy audience.
Action taken
English news was added to the website on 20 April 2003.
Aftermath
English became a core channel for the agency's international communication.
2001
Expand the service into SpanishStrategyBackground
SPS sought to broaden access beyond its original French-language audience and reach Spanish-speaking readers connected to Western Sahara.
Action taken
The agency began publishing news in Spanish in March 2001.
Aftermath
Spanish became one of the agency's established international publication languages.
Recent events
- 2023
Sahara Press Service launches redesigned website and logo[1]
Product launch
SPS introduced a new website and visual identity on 11 October 2023.
- 2012
SPS inaugurates new headquarters in the Sahrawi refugee camps[1]
Other
President Mohamed Abdelaziz inaugurated new premises for the agency in the Sahrawi refugee camps on 25 January 2012.
- 1999
Sahara Press Service established[1]
Other
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic established SPS with support from Algeria Press Service and cooperation from ARSO and solidarity groups in Switzerland and Spain.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/sahara-press-service · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled