Emilio Bonelli
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Biography
Bonelli entered the Spanish Army in 1875 and attended the Toledo Infantry Academy, achieving the rank of ensign in 1878. He left the Army in 1882, and undertook an expedition through the interior of Morocco, crossing the territory between Fez, Meknes and Tangier.
In 1884, Bonelli commanded an expedition to take the territory of Río de Oro (Oued Edhahab), occupying the Atlantic coast between Cape Bojador (Ras Bujadur) and Cape Blanco (Ras Nouadhibou) and founding Villa Cisneros (Dakhla). On 26 December 1884, the Kingdom of Spain declared 'a protectorate of the African coast', and on 14 January 1885 officially informed the other great powers in writing, thereby establishing Spanish Sahara. In July 1885, Bonelli was appointed by King Alfonso XII to the newly created position of Royal Commissioner on the West Coast of Africa (which would later be renamed as Political and Military Subgovernor of Río de Oro), managing to establish peace with tribes in the area.
In 1913, Bonelli was a founding member of the Liga Africanista Española, of which he was vice president.