 Protests broke out in Spain against the move by Spanish President Pedro Sánchez to go back on Spain's commitments for the decolonization of the Western Sahara. On March 14, the Spanish head of state sent a letter to Morocco's King, Mohamed VI, stating that Spain supports Morocco's proposal to make Western Sahara an autonomous territory under Morocco's sovereignty. Western Sahara was a colony of Spain till its withdrawal in 1975. It has since been occupied by Morocco. The Saharavi Liberation Movement, the Polisario Front, has been committed to independence for Western Sahara and terms the Moroccan control as occupation. The Polisario Front governs the eastern parts of Western Sahara as Saharavi Arab Democratic Republic. The United Nations and the majority of the world does not recognize Moroccan claims of sovereignty over the territory. The UNSC Resolution 690, adopted in April 1991, called for a referendum to be held to decide the status of the Western Sahara. Polisario Front and other international entities have been campaigning for this referendum to be held. The Spanish government was also a strong proponent of the referendum until the latest statements. In 1974, before withdrawing from Western Sahara, Spain had agreed to hold a referendum on the question of self-determination for the region, as was mandated by the UN in 1966. However, after intense pressure from Morocco and Mauritania, Spain reneged on this promise and decided to divide the territory of Western Sahara between Morocco and Mauritania, which was formalized in the Madrid Accords. While Mauritania withdrew its claims to the territory in 1979, Morocco continued its occupation. The Polisario Front fought against this occupation until 1991, when the UN brokered a ceasefire and called for a referendum. The referendum is yet to be held. The move from the Spanish government has triggered widespread outrage across the country, including from coalition partners in the PSOE-led government like United Left.