Sand War: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 00:11, 2 February 2007 view sourceArre (talk \| contribs)2,765 edits →Background: oops, fixed one thing. there was no direct promise in abbas/GPRA's deal, just implicitly, which is what Ben Bella then used to his advantage. also sourced GPRA.← Previous edit		Revision as of 00:13, 2 February 2007 view source Arre (talk \| contribs)2,765 editsm →Results: i think "arab nationalism" better captures ben bella's/boumédiène's attitudes than "pan-arabism"; there was always emphasis on an algerian identity.Next edit →
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	== Results ==		== Results ==

	The Sand War laid the foundations for a lasting and often intensely hostile rivalry between Morocco and Algeria, exacerbated by the differences in political outlook between the ] Moroccan ] and the ], ] Algerian military government <Ref> http://mondediplo.com/1999/12/06algm?var_recherche=maroc </Ref>. Final border demarcation in the Tindouf area would not be reached until many years later, in a negotiation process stretching from 1969 to 1972, and with Algeria offering Morocco shares in the ] earnings from Tindouf as a ''quid pro quo'' for recognition of its borders. This treaty has still not been ratified by Morocco, and most observers expect that this will remain the case until the countries have resolved their differences over the fate of Western Sahara.		The Sand War laid the foundations for a lasting and often intensely hostile rivalry between Morocco and Algeria, exacerbated by the differences in political outlook between the ] Moroccan ] and the ], Arab nationalist Algerian military government <Ref> http://mondediplo.com/1999/12/06algm?var_recherche=maroc </Ref>. Final border demarcation in the Tindouf area would not be reached until many years later, in a negotiation process stretching from 1969 to 1972, and with Algeria offering Morocco shares in the ] earnings from Tindouf as a ''quid pro quo'' for recognition of its borders. This treaty has still not been ratified by Morocco, and most observers expect that this will remain the case until the countries have resolved their differences over the fate of Western Sahara.

	Many have argued that the Sand War and its bitter legacy was a factor in the attitudes of both Morocco and Algeria towards the (still incomplete) ] of ] in the early 1970s. In 1975, Morocco struck a deal with the Spanish colonial powers to ] this territory, now known as ], while Algeria at the same time began backing the main indigenous ]-minded ] organization, ]. The Polisario fought a long battle on behalf of the territory's ] inhabitants in pursuit of full independence, but after 1991, the two sides have been deadlocked in a diplomatic jostle over the UN's ] ] terms, which stipulate a ] on independence or integration into Morocco. As of 2007, the conflict remains unresolved, and Moroccan-Algerian relations remain poor and verbally hostile, even if military conflict is regarded as highly unlikely.		Many have argued that the Sand War and its bitter legacy was a factor in the attitudes of both Morocco and Algeria towards the (still incomplete) ] of ] in the early 1970s. In 1975, Morocco struck a deal with the Spanish colonial powers to ] this territory, now known as ], while Algeria at the same time began backing the main indigenous ]-minded ] organization, ]. The Polisario fought a long battle on behalf of the territory's ] inhabitants in pursuit of full independence, but after 1991, the two sides have been deadlocked in a diplomatic jostle over the UN's ] ] terms, which stipulate a ] on independence or integration into Morocco. As of 2007, the conflict remains unresolved, and Moroccan-Algerian relations remain poor and verbally hostile, even if military conflict is regarded as highly unlikely.

Revision as of 00:13, 2 February 2007

The Sand War occurred along the Algerian-Moroccan border in October 1963, and was a Moroccan attempt to claim the Tindouf and Béchar areas of the Sahara desert, which had been annexed to Algeria in the 1800s, as the eastern provinces of a "Greater Morocco".

Background

Before French colonization in the 19th century, parts of southern and western Algeria paid allegiance to the Moroccan sultanate . In the 1930s and later in the 1950s, France had integrated into what was known as the Overseas Departement of French Algeria, the areas of Tindouf and Bechar. When Morocco gained independence, it demanded to recover these areas. In an effort to cut the support that the Algerian liberation movement was getting from Morocco, France offered to return those areas in exchange for Morocco stopping that support. King Mohammed V refused to make a deal with France behind the back of the "Algerian brothers", and agreed with the Algerian exile governement's nationalist leader Ferhat Abbas, that once Algeria gained its independence it would renegotiate the borders.

However, immediately after Algeria's independence, and before his agreement with King Muhammad V could be formally ratified, Abbas was purged from the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN) government by a military-backed coalition led by radical leader Ahmad Ben Bella. The last, bloody years of the FLN's rebellion had been fought essentially to prevent France from splitting off the Sahara regions from the emerging Algerian state, and thus neither Ben Bella nor the rest of the wartime FLN were inclined to give them up to Morocco when independence was achieved.

The Algerians therefore recognized neither Morocco's historical nor its political claims, and stated that the colonial borders should stand. Moroccan demands were perceived as attempt to infringe the country's hard-won independence and pressure it when it was at its weakest. Algeria was still reeling from the enormous damage caused by its war against French colonialism, and the government scarcely held control over its entire territory - significantly, a Berber anti-FLN rebellion under the leadership of Hocine Aït Ahmed had recently flared up in the Kabyle mountains.

Morocco, on the other hand, felt betrayed and also viewed the establishment of a radical Arab nationalist government on its eastern flank with concern. Tension escalated, as neither side wanted to back down.

The War

Skirmishes along the border eventually escalated into a full-blown confrontation, with intense fighting around the oasis towns of Tindouf and Figuig. The Algerian army, just formed from the guerrilla ranks fo the FLN's Armé de Libération Nationale (ALN) was still geared towards asymmetric warfare, and had little high-powered equipment . They were still battle-ready and held tens of thousands of experienced veterans, and strengthening the armed forces had been a top priority for the military-dominated post-war government. On the other hand, while being modern, western-equipped Moroccan army was superior on the battlefield, it did not manage to penetrate into Algeria. The war stalemated with the intervention of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the Arab league and it was broken off after approximately three weeks. The OAU eventually managed to arrange a formal cease-fire on February 20, 1964 . A peace agreement was then made after Arab League mediation, and a demilitarized zone instituted , but hostilities simmered.

Results

The Sand War laid the foundations for a lasting and often intensely hostile rivalry between Morocco and Algeria, exacerbated by the differences in political outlook between the conservative Moroccan monarchy and the revolutionary, Arab nationalist Algerian military government . Final border demarcation in the Tindouf area would not be reached until many years later, in a negotiation process stretching from 1969 to 1972, and with Algeria offering Morocco shares in the iron ore earnings from Tindouf as a quid pro quo for recognition of its borders. This treaty has still not been ratified by Morocco, and most observers expect that this will remain the case until the countries have resolved their differences over the fate of Western Sahara.

Many have argued that the Sand War and its bitter legacy was a factor in the attitudes of both Morocco and Algeria towards the (still incomplete) decolonization of Spanish Sahara in the early 1970s. In 1975, Morocco struck a deal with the Spanish colonial powers to annex this territory, now known as Western Sahara, while Algeria at the same time began backing the main indigenous independence-minded guerrilla organization, Polisario Front. The Polisario fought a long battle on behalf of the territory's Sahrawi inhabitants in pursuit of full independence, but after 1991, the two sides have been deadlocked in a diplomatic jostle over the UN's Settlement Plan cease-fire terms, which stipulate a referendum on independence or integration into Morocco. As of 2007, the conflict remains unresolved, and Moroccan-Algerian relations remain poor and verbally hostile, even if military conflict is regarded as highly unlikely.

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