Governor of Spanish Sahara
Gobernador del Sahara Español
Coat of arms of Spanish Sahara
Longest serving Emilio Bonelli 3 November 1884 – bf. 1902
Reports to	Head of State of Spain
Seat	Villa Cisneros (1884–1940) El Aaiún (1940–1976)
Formation	3 November 1884
First holder	Emilio Bonelli
Final holder	Federico Gómez de Salazar y Nieto
Abolished	6 February 1976

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The colonial governors of Spanish Sahara were the colonial administrators responsible for the territory of Spanish Sahara, an area equivalent to modern-day Western Sahara.

List

(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)

Tenure	Portrait	Incumbent	Notes
Spanish suzerainty
3 November 1884 to 10 July 1885		Emilio Bonelli, Commandant
Royal Commissioner on the West Coast of Africa
10 July 1885 to 6 April 1887		Emilio Bonelli, Royal Commissioner	Arrives in Río de Oro on 26 August 1885
Political and Military Subgovernors of Río de Oro (subordinated to the captains-general of the Canary Islands)
6 April 1887 to bf. 1902		Emilio Bonelli, Subgovernor
1902 to 1 December 1903		Ángel Villalobos, Subgovernor
1 December 1903 to 1913		Francisco Bens Argandoña [es], Subgovernor
Delegates of the High Commissioner in the Southern Zone of the Spanish protectorate in Morocco (subordinated to Spanish high commissioners in Morocco)
1913 to 7 November 1925		Francisco Bens Argandoña [es], Delegate	Occupation of Cape Juby and La Güera
7 November 1925 to 19 June 1932		Guillermo de la Peña Cusi [es], Delegate
19 June 1932 to 30 August 1933		Eduardo Cañizares Navarro [es], Delegate
30 August 1933 to 1 July 1934		José González Deleito, Delegate
1 July 1934 to 29 August 1934		Benigno Martínez Portillo, Delegate
Government delegates in the Sahara (subordinated to Spanish high commissioners in Morocco)
29 August 1934 to 4 May 1936		Benigno Martínez Portillo, Government Delegate
4 May 1936 to 7 August 1936		Carlos Pedemonte Sabín [es], Government Delegate	Spanish coup of July 1936; start of the Spanish Civil War
7 August 1936 to 12 March 1937		Rafael Gallego Sainz [es], Government Delegate
12 March 1937 to 17 May 1940		Antonio de Oro Pulido, Government Delegate	Founded the city of El Aaiún in 1938[1]
Politico-Military Governor of Ifni and the Sahara and Delegate of the High Commissioner in the Southern Zone of the Spanish protectorate in Morocco (subordinated to Spanish high commissioners in Morocco)
17 May 1940 to 24 July 1946		José Bermejo López, Governor
Governors of the Government of Spanish West Africa
24 July 1946 to 17 August 1949		José Bermejo López, Governor
17 August 1949 to 29 March 1952		Francisco Rosaleny Burguet, Governor
29 March 1952 to 26 February 1954		Venancio Tutor Gil, Governor
26 February 1954 to 23 May 1957		Ramón Pardo de Santayana y Suárez, Governor	Apostolic Prefecture of Spanish Sahara and Ifni established on 5 July 1954, with Félix Erviti Barcelona OMI as the first apostolic prefect
23 May 1957 to 10 January 1958		Mariano Gómez-Zamalloa y Quirce, Governor	Served at the start of the Ifni War
Governors-general of Spanish Sahara
10 January 1958 to 22 July 1958		José Héctor Vázquez, Governor-General	Served at the end of the Ifni War
27 July 1958 to 6 October 1961		Mariano Alonso Alonso, Governor-General
13 October 1961 to 21 February 1964		Pedro Latorre Alcubierre, Governor-General
6 March 1964 to 5 November 1965		Joaquín Agulla y Jiménez-Coronado, Governor-General
5 November 1965 to 26 November 1965		Adolfo Artalejo Campos, Governor-General
5 December 1965 to 2 February 1967		Ángel Enríquez Larrondo, Governor-General
18 February 1967 to 4 March 1971		José María Pérez de Lema Tejero [es], Governor-General	Served at the time of the Zemla Intifada
4 March 1971 to 6 June 1974		Fernando de Santiago y Díaz de Mendívil, Governor-General
6 June 1974 to 6 February 1976		Federico Gómez de Salazar y Nieto, Governor-General	Served at the time of the Green March
14 February 1976	Spain announces it has transferred sovereignty to Morocco
26 February 1976	Spain terminates its administration[2]
27 February 1976	Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic proclaimed by the Polisario Front[3]
14 April 1976	Spanish Sahara is partitioned and annexed by Morocco (claiming Southern Provinces) and Mauritania (claiming Tiris al-Gharbiyya)
11 August 1979	Mauritanian part of the territory annexed by Morocco