Western Sahara War

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Q1093550




The Western Sahara War was an armed conflict between the Sahrawi Indigenous Polisario Front and Morocco from 1975 to 1991, being the most significant phase of the Western Sahara conflict. The conflict erupted after the withdrawal of Spain from the Spanish Sahara in accordance with the Madrid Accords, by which it transferred administrative control of the territory to Morocco and Mauritania, but not sovereignty. In late 1975, the Moroccan government organized the Green March of some 350,000 Moroccan citizens, escorted by around 20,000 troops, who entered Western Sahara, trying to establish a Moroccan presence. While at first met with just minor resistance by the Polisario Front, Morocco later engaged a long period of guerrilla warfare with the Sahrawi nationalists. During the late 1970s, the Polisario Front, desiring to establish an independent state in the territory, attempted to fight both Mauritania and Morocco. In 1979, Mauritania withdrew from the conflict after signing a peace treaty with the Polisario Front. The war continued in low intensity throughout the 1980s, though Morocco made several attempts to take the upper hand in 1989–1991. A cease-fire agreement was finally reached between the Polisario Front and Morocco in September 1991. Some sources put the final death toll between 10,000 and 20,000 people.

1975 — 1991  WikimediaWikidata
war

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Location: 25, -13, KML, Cluster Map, Maps,
5 places

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1975-10-30T00:00:00Z
1991-09-06T00:00:00Z
1975 — 1991 Western Sahara War
1973-05-10T00:00:00Z
1976-02-26T00:00:00Z
1973 — 1976 Sahrawi insurgency
1644-01-01T00:00:00Z
1677-01-01T00:00:00Z
1644 — 1677 Char Bouba War
1957-10-23T00:00:00Z
1958-06-30T00:00:00Z
1957 — 1958 Ifni War
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Destroyed T-55 tank of Polisario front, towed by Moroccan vehicle, circa 1980s.Destroyed T-55 tank of Polisario front, towed by Moroccan vehicle, circa 1980s.
M56 Scorpion, Moroccan berm, circa 1986M56 Scorpion, Moroccan berm, circa 1986
T-55 tank of Polisario front, circa 1980s.T-55 tank of Polisario front, circa 1980s.
Destroyed Polisario front tank T-55.Destroyed Polisario front tank T-55.
SAHARAWI FIGHTERSSAHARAWI FIGHTERS
3 destroyed T-55 tanks of Polisario front, western Sahara.3 destroyed T-55 tanks of Polisario front, western Sahara.
3 destroyed T-55 tanks of Polisario front, western Sahara conflict.3 destroyed T-55 tanks of Polisario front, western Sahara conflict.
Destroyed BMP-1 APC of polisario front and (presumably) UN peacekeepers.Destroyed BMP-1 APC of polisario front and (presumably) UN peacekeepers.
US supplied fighters of the Royal Moroccan Air ForceUS supplied fighters of the Royal Moroccan Air Force
A portion of the ceinture near Bu CraaA portion of the ceinture near Bu Craa
    TypeSubtypeDateDescriptionNotesSource
    arearegion1884Spanish SaharaWikidata
    eventarmed conflictWestern Sahara conflictMorocco, armed conflict, Polisario FrontWikidata
    eventarmed conflict1973Sahrawi insurgencyFrancoist Spain, Polisario Front, insurgencyWikidata
    eventwar1644Char Bouba Warwar, Wolof people, Sanhaja, Torodbe, MaqilWikidata
    eventwar1957Ifni Warwar, French Fourth Republic, Francoist Spain, Moroccan Army of LiberationWikidata
    eventwar1975Western Sahara WarwarWikidata
    commonsimageDestroyed T-55 tank of Polisario front, towed by Moroccan vehicle, circa 1980s. Commons
    commonsimageM56 Scorpion, Moroccan berm, circa 1986 Commons
    commonsimageT-55 tank of Polisario front, circa 1980s. Commons
    commonsimageDestroyed Polisario front tank T-55. Commons
    commonsimageSAHARAWI FIGHTERS Commons
    commonsimage3 destroyed T-55 tanks of Polisario front, western Sahara. Commons
    commonsimage3 destroyed T-55 tanks of Polisario front, western Sahara conflict. Commons
    commonsimageDestroyed BMP-1 APC of polisario front and (presumably) UN peacekeepers. Commons
    commonsimageUS supplied fighters of the Royal Moroccan Air Force Commons
    commonsimageA portion of the ceinture near Bu Craa Commons