00:02Spain's parliament backed a law on Thursday granting citizenship to tens of thousands of Western Saharans who were born when
00:09Spain ran the disputed territory now largely controlled by Morocco.
00:13The text grants Spanish nationality to Sahrawis born before September 29, 1977, and to their children through a certificate of
00:22naturalization, considering that date the effective end of decolonization.
00:26Although the exact number of beneficiaries is unknown, around 80,000 Sahrawis are believed to be eligible, with some estimates
00:34reaching almost 200,000 including the descendants.
00:38Madrid's policy towards Rabat is now under fierce criticism after tens of thousands of migrants streamed into Ceuta from Morocco
00:46in late July's unprecedented and deadly rush.
00:49The leftist government has avoided blaming Morocco, but the right accuses Rabat of orchestrating the search for political motives.
00:58Western Sahara has been largely controlled by Morocco since 1975, but the United Nations considers it a non-self-governing
01:06territory.
01:07Against this backdrop, the initiative to grant Spanish nationality to Sahrawis has divided opinion in Morocco but not prompted condemnation
01:16from the government.
01:17The end.
01:19AMT
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