The current conflict in Western Sahara in Morocco is a deeply rooted unsolved issue that dates back to the 1884 Spanish occupation of Morocco which was later reviewed in 1975 by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) coming to surprising conclusions about self determination and the rights of indigenous populations. From the late 1800’s to the mid 1970’s Morocco was divided colonial territory between France and Spain. However in 1956 France, believing in the right to self-determination, peacefully withdrew all occupying forces from Morocco. Spain was expected to do the same.
However, Spain felt differently about the situation entirely and remained an occupying force in both northern parts of Morocco and in the former Spanish Sahara, now Western Sahara. On home soil, Franco was lying in a hospital bed terminally ill with little control over what was happening within his own borders, let alone with the colonies.[1] Franco himself was quoted to have said to declare war on the Moroccans, but this never occurred. Spain was barely prepared to handle any sort of military conquest abroad and was also battling its own fronts against a homegrown terrorist organization, ETA, accused of assassinating Spanish Prime Minister Admiral Carrero.[2]
The state of Morocco consists of more than just lines drawn on a map and the political institutions constructed by man’s imagination. The nation consists of strong religious and cultural bonds that tie the people and their leaders to region that date back as far as the 11th century.[3] With such a strong relation to the area, it is easy to explain why a group of people would desire self-determination and self-governance over all of the land that was once rightfully theirs. At the time King Hassan was the ruler of Morocco and one can argue is responsible for the annexation of the Western Sahara. Although there seem to be mixed views about the popularity of King Hassan. He often abused his power as King and in 1963 suspended parliament and declared a state of emergency due to the civil unrest in the territory and in 1971 there was a failed attempt to overthrow the monarchy and establish a republic.[4] However he was able to gather 350,000 volunteers in a march in order to regain the territory of Western Sahara in order to reunite the full Moroccan state.
The Western Sahara, then Spanish Sahara, was and still is the main point of contention. In 1973, the POLISARIO front, supported by Algeria, began to develop in support of self- determination in the Spanish Sahara using guerilla warfare tactics and causing major unrest for the King Hassan and Spanish occupation alike.[5] In 1975 it was Spanish occupied territory yet three other peoples, the Moroccans, the Mauritians, and the indigenous tribes of the Sahara supported by POLISARIO claimed it as rightfully theirs. On October 16, 1975 the International Court of Justice released a review stating that there was overwhelming support for an independent state and self-determination of the indigenous population and obviously Spain had no right to be occupying the territory, nor did Morocco or Mauritania have strong enough ties to the territory to claim rightful annexation of the region.[6] In despite of this report Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania found their own path to a resolution without including the indigenous population.
In response to the release of the ICJ advisory report King Hassan organized a peaceful protest that was titled the “Green March.” In November of 1975 he asked for 350,000 volunteers to cross the border into the Spanish Sahara armed only with a Qa’ran in order to protest the Spanish occupation and reunite what was “rightfully” Moroccan. Almost immediately, following were a serious of agreements dictated in accordance with UN international law, but not at all in accordance with ICJ advisory opinion of October 16.[7]
On November 14, 1975 the Tripartite Agreement, also known as the Madrid Accord, was signed between Spain, Morocco and Mauritania, handing over the power of the territory between Morocco and Mauritania. For the Moroccans this was a reunification of a nation, a former fractured state becoming whole again. Internationally, this was a relatively peaceful transition and a successful multilateral agreement. But for POLISARIO and the indigenous population of the Western Sahara, the power over Western Sahara just shifted from one occupying force to another, leaving us with the conflict unsolved today.
[1] Pablo de Orellana, "Remember the Western Sahara? Conflict, Irredentism, Nationalism and International Intervention," International Relations, http://www.e-ir.info/?p=2005#_ftn2 (accessed November 21, 2010).
[2] Ibid.
[3] Jerome B Weiner, "The Green March in Historical Perspective," Middle East Journal 33, no. 1 (Winter 1979):http://0www.jstor.org.dewey2.library.denison.edu/stable/4325817 (accessed November 19, 2010).
[4] BBC News, "Timeline: Morocco," September 11, 2010, http:/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/2431365.stm (accessed November 21, 2010).
[5] any Jerome B Weiner, "The Green March in Historical Perspective," Middle East Journal 33, no. 1 (Winter 1979):http://0www.jstor.org.dewey2.library.denison.edu/stable/4325817 (accessed November 19, 2010).
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
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