The Polisario, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro ("Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and [[Río de Oro]]") is a Sahrawi rebel movement working for the separation of Western Sahara from Morocco. The office of President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is a head of state position over the parliamentary government of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), an exile government based in the refugee camps of Tindouf, Algeria. ... Mohamed Abdelaziz, pictured c. ... This page contains a list of Prime Ministers of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. ... Abdelkader Taleb Oumar (Arabic: عبد القادر طالب عمر) is the current Prime Minister of Western Sahara, in the framework of the exiled Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). ... The Sahrawi National Council or simply National Council (SNC) is the parliament in exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Sharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) is a government in exile; this means that it does not control the entirity of its claimed territory, the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara. ... The Free Zone is in yellow on the map. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... This region of Western Sahara makes up the northern third of the country. ... Río de Oro (Spanish for Gold River, Arabic: wādÄ«-ð-ðahab, often transliterated as Oued Edhahab), is, with Saguia el-Hamra, one of the two territories that formed the Spanish province of Spanish Sahara after 1969. ... “Sahraoui” redirects here. ... Separation may refer to a several different subjects: In chemistry, separation refers to the separation process. ...

History

The beginnings

In 1971 a group of young Sahrawi students in the universities of Morocco began organizing what came to be known as The Embryonic Movement for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro. After attempting in vain to gain backing from several Arab governments, including both Algeria and Morocco, but only drawing faint notices of support from Libya and Mauritania, the movement eventually relocated to Spanish-controlled Western Sahara to start an armed rebellion.

The Polisario Front was formally constituted on May 10, 1973 with the express intention of militarily forcing an end to Spanish colonization. Its first Secretary General was El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed. On May 20 he led the Khanga raid, Polisario's first armed action, [1] in which a Spanish post manned by a team of Tropas Nomadas (Sahrawi-staffed auxiliary forces) was overrun and rifles seized. Polisario then gradually gained control over large swaths of desert countryside, and its power grew from early 1975 when the Tropas Nomadas began deserting to the Polisario, bringing weapons and training with them. At this point, Polisario's manpower included perhaps 800 men and women, but they were backed by a vastly larger network of supporters. A UN visiting mission headed by Simeon Aké that was conducted in June 1975 concluded that Sahrawi support for independence (as opposed to Spanish rule or integration with a neighbouring country) amounted to an "overwhelming consensus" and that the Polisario Front was by far the most powerful political force in the country. is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. ... ... El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed (1950-1976) Sahrawi nationalist leader. ... The Tropas Nómadas (Nomad Troops) were an auxiliary regiment to the colonial army in Spanish Sahara (today Western Sahara). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Tropas Nómadas (Nomad Troops) were an auxiliary regiment to the colonial army in Spanish Sahara (today Western Sahara). ... To assist in the decolonization process of the Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara), a colony in North Africa, the United Nations General Assembly in 1975 dispatched a visiting mission to the territory and the surrounding countries, in accordance with its resolution 3292 (December 13, 1974). ... Simeon Aké (b. ...

Withdrawal of Spain

A Polisario demonstration in Madrid

While Spain started negotiating a handover of power in the summer of 1975, in the end the Franco regime decided to throw in its lot with Western Sahara's neighbours instead^{[citation needed]}. After Moroccan pressures through the Green March of November 6, Spain entered negotiations that led to the signing of the Madrid Accords between Spain, Morocco and Mauritania. Upon Spain's withdrawal, and in application of the Madrid Accords in 1976, Morocco took over the Saguia El Hamra while Mauritania took control of Rio De Oro. The Algeria-backed Polisario Front proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic on 27, February 1976, and waged a guerilla war against both Morocco and Mauritania. The World Court at The Hague had issued its verdict on the former Spanish colony just weeks before, which each party interpreted as confirming its rights on the disputed territory. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2816 × 2112 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2816 × 2112 pixel, file size: 1. ... This article is about the historical event. ... is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Madrid Accords were a series of behind-the-scenes meetings between Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania to partition the territory of Spanish Sahara held in 1975. ... The Madrid Accords were a series of behind-the-scenes meetings between Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania to partition the territory of Spanish Sahara held in 1975. ... Motto: حرية ديمقراطية وحدة (Arabic) Liberty, Democracy, Unity Anthem: Yābaniy Es-Saharā  listen This map indicates the territory claimed by the SADR, viz. ... The World Court refers collectively to the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ) and its successor the International Court of Justice (ICJ). ... Coordinates: , Country Netherlands Province South Holland Area (2006)  - Municipality 98. ... One of the main functions of the International Court of Justice is to provide Advisory Opinions - non-binding legal interpretations admitted by United Nations organs. ...

The Polisario kept up the guerilla war and rebased in Tindouf in the western regions of Algeria. For the next two years the movement grew tremendously as Sahrawi refugees flocked to the camps and Algeria supplied arms and funding. Within months, its army had expanded to several thousand armed fighters, camels were replaced by modern jeeps, and 19th century muskets were replaced by assault rifles. The reorganized army was able to inflict severe damage through guerrilla-style hit-and-run attacks against enemy forces in Western Sahara and in Morocco and Mauritania proper. Tindouf, also written Tinduf, (Arabic: تندوف) is a city and wilaya in the west of Algeria, population 30,000. ... For other uses, see Camel (disambiguation). ... Jeep is an automobile marque (and registered trademark) of DaimlerChrysler. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth-bore long gun. ... The AK is the worlds most common assault rifle. ... Guerrilla warfare (also guerilla) is the unconventional warfare and combat with which small group combatants (usually civilians) use mobile tactics (ambushes, raids, etc) to combat a larger, less mobile formal army. ... Hit-and-run tactics is a tactical doctrine where the purpose of the combat involved is not to seize control of territory, but to inflict damage on a target and immediately exit the area to avoid the enemys defense and/or retaliation. ...

Mauritania pulls out

The weak Mauritanian regime of Ould Daddah, whose army numbered under 3,000 men, [2] proved unable to fend off the guerilla incursions. After repeated strikes at the country's principal source of income, the iron mines of Zouerate, the government was nearly incapacitated by the lack of funds and the ensuing internal disorder. [3] Ethnic unrest in the Mauritanian armed forces also strongly contributed to the ineffectiveness of the army: forcibly conscripted black Africans from the south of the country resisted getting involved in what they viewed as a northern intra-Arab dispute, and the Moors and Sahrawis of northern Mauritania often sympathized with Polisario, fearing the regional ambitions of Morocco, and Daddah's increasing dependence on Moroccan military support. Moktar Ould Daddah Moktar Ould Daddah (Arabic: مختار ولد داده; December 25, 1924 - October 14, 2003) was the President of Mauritania from 1960, when his country gained its independence from France, to 1978, when he was deposed in a military coup detat. ... General Name, symbol, number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, period, block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Standard atomic weight 55. ... Zouérat is the largest town in northern Mauritania and is the capital of Tiris Zemmour. ... This article or section should be merged with ethnic group Ethnicity is the cultural characteristics that connect a particular group or groups of people to each other. ... Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Guard, National Police, Presidential Guard Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 644,294 (2002 est. ... This article is about the color black; for other uses, see Black (disambiguation). ... The military of Morocco is the summation of armed forces of the country of Morocco. ...

Not even overt French Air Force backing in 1978, when SEPECAT Jaguar fighters strafed and bombed Polisario guerrilla columns en route to Mauritania, proved enough to save the regime, and the death of Polisario leader El Ouali in a raid on Nouakchott did not as anticipated result in the collapse of Sahrawi morale. Instead, he was replaced by Mohamed Abdelaziz, with no letup in the pace of attacks. The Daddah regime finally fell in 1978 to a coup d'état led by war-weary military officers, [4] who immediately agreed to a cease fire with the Polisario. A comprehensive peace treaty was signed on August 5, 1979, in which the new government recognized Sahrawi rights to Western Sahara and relinquished its own claims. Mauritania withdrew all its forces and would later proceeded to formally recognize the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, causing a massive rupture in relations with Morocco. King Hassan II of Morocco immediately claimed the area of Western Sahara evacuated by Mauritania (Tiris al-Gharbiya, roughly corresponding to the southern half of Río de Oro), which was unilaterally annexed by Morocco in August 1979. [5] The French Air Force is the air force branch of the French Armed Forces. ... The SEPECAT Jaguar is an Anglo-French ground attack aircraft still in service with several export customers, notably the Indian Air Force and the Royal Air Force of Oman. ... El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed (or El-Wali Mustapha Sayed) (~1948-1976), Sahrawi nationalist leader. ... Nouakchott (Arabic: نواكشوط or انواكشوط; population estimate 1999: 881,000) is the capital and by far the largest city of Mauritania. ... Mohamed Abdelaziz, pictured c. ... // A coup dÉtat (pronounced ), or simply coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, often through illegal means by a part of the state establishment — mostly replacing just the high-level figures. ... An armistice is the effective end of a war, when the warring parties agree to stop fighting. ... is the 217th day of the year (218th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Motto: حرية ديمقراطية وحدة (Arabic) Liberty, Democracy, Unity Anthem: Yābaniy Es-Saharā  listen This map indicates the territory claimed by the SADR, viz. ... King Hassan, pictured late in life. ... Tiris al-Gharbiyya (Arabic for Western Tiris) was the Mauritanian name for the area of Western Sahara under its control between 1975 and 1979. ... Río de Oro (Spanish for Gold River, Arabic: wādÄ«-ð-ðahab, often transliterated as Oued Edhahab), is, with Saguia el-Hamra, one of the two territories that formed the Spanish province of Spanish Sahara after 1969. ... Ceremonies during the annexation of Hawaii. ...

The Moroccan wall stalemates the war

From the mid-1980s Morocco largely managed to keep Polisario troops off by building a huge berm or sand wall (the Moroccan Wall), staffed by an army roughly the same size as the entire Sahrawi population, enclosing within it the economically useful parts of Western Sahara (Bou Craa, El-Aaiun, Smara etc). This stalemated the war, with no side able to achieve decisive gains, but artillery strikes and sniping attacks by the guerillas continued, and Morocco was economically and politically strained by the war. Today Polisario controls the part of the Western Sahara on the east of the Moroccan Wall, comprising about a third of the territory, but this area is economically useless, heavily mined, and almost uninhabited. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Look up Berm in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... System of the Moroccan Walls in Western Sahara (territory outside them in yellow) The Moroccan Wall is a 2,720 km-long system of defensive walls/berms, running mainly through Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara. ... The Moroccan name for Western Sahara. ... Stop changing it. ... Laâyoune Laâyoune, also El Aaiún, is the unofficial capital of Western Sahara, a former Spanish country now mostly controlled and occupied by Morocco. ... Smara, also Semara, is a Sahrawi city (50,000 in 1999) in the Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara. ... The Free Zone is in yellow on the map. ... U.S. Army soldier removes fuse from a Russian-made mine to clear a minefield outside of Fallujah, Iraq. ...

Cease-fire and the referendum process

A cease-fire between the Polisario and Morocco, monitored by MINURSO (UN) has been in effect since September 6, 1991, on the promise of a referendum on independence the following year. The referendum, however, stalled over disagreements on voter rights, and numerous attempts at restarting the process (most significantly the launching of the 2003 Baker plan) seem to have failed. The Polisario has repeatedly threatened to resume hostilities if a referendum cannot be held and claims that the current situation of "neither peace, nor war" is unsustainable. Pressures on the leadership from the refugee population to resume fighting are apparent, but to date the 14-year old cease fire has been respected. An armistice is the effective end of a war, when the warring parties agree to stop fighting. ... MINURSO is a UN peacekeeping mission, established in 1991 to monitor the ceasefire and to organize and conduct a referendum which would enable the people of Western Sahara to choose between integration with Morocco and independence. ... This article is about the United Nations, for other uses of UN see UN (disambiguation) Official languages English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic Secretary-General Kofi Annan (since 1997) Established October 24, 1945 Member states 191 Headquarters New York City, NY, USA Official site http://www. ... is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Baker Plan A United Nations plan to grant Western Sahara self-determination. ...

In April 2007 the government of Morocco has suggested that a self-governing entity, through the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs (CORCAS), should govern the territory with some degree of autonomy for Western Sahara. The project was presented to the United Nations Security Council in mid-April 2007. The stalemating of the Moroccoan proposal options has led the UN in the recent "Report of the UN Secretary-General" to ask the parties to enter into direct and unconditional negotiations to reach a mutually accepted political solution.^[1] The Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs (CORCAS) (French: Conseil royal consultatif pour les affaires sahariennes) is an appointed body of advisors to the Moroccan government working in the Southern Provinces, i. ...

The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

On February 27, 1976, the day after Spain formally ceded its colony, Polisario proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). It has a government in exile, a parliament and a judiciary, all based in Algeria. Its constitution promises that Western Sahara will be founded as a multi-party democracy with a "market economy and free enterprise". Abdelaziz has been its president for more than three decades. The SADR is a member of the African Union, but not of the United Nations. It is currently recognised by 43 countries, nearly all of these are African or Latin American, and has been acknowledged as a state by over 70 states although about 35 have since withdrawn recognition. The SADR and Polisario are both based in the Sahrawi refugee camps south of the Algerian border town of Tindouf, but has its symbolic temporary capital of Bir Lehlou in north-eastern Western Sahara. The formal capital, according to the SADR constitution's §4, is El Aaiún, presently under Moroccan administration. [6] is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: حرية ديمقراطية وحدة (Arabic) Liberty, Democracy, Unity Anthem: Yābaniy Es-Saharā  listen This map indicates the territory claimed by the SADR, viz. ... A government in exile is a political group that claims to be a countrys legitimate government, but for various reasons is unable to exercise its legal power, and instead resides in a foreign country. ... Mohamed Abdelaziz, pictured c. ... Anthem Let Us All Unite and Celebrate Together [1] Administrative Centre Largest city Cairo, Egypt Working languages Arabic English French Portuguese Spanish(Eq. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... Western Sahara is the former Spanish colony of Spanish Sahara claimed and mostly administered by the Kingdom of Morocco since Spain handed over the territory to Morocco and Mauritania after the Madrid Accords in 1975-76, but sovereignty is unresolved and the United Nations (UN) is attempting to hold a... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... Refugee camp for Rwandans located in what is now the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo following the Rwandan Genocide A refugee camp is a temporary camp built up by governments or NGOs (such as the ICRC) to receive refugees. ... Tindouf, also written Tinduf, (Arabic: تندوف) is a city and wilaya in the west of Algeria, population 30,000. ... Bir Lehlou (Arabic: بير لحلو) is a small town in north-eastern Western Sahara, east of the border wall, in Polisario-held territory. ... El-Aaiún or Laâyoune (Arabic: العيون, transliterated al-`ayÅ«n), is the unofficial capital of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony now mostly controlled and occupied by Morocco. ...

Political ideology

The Polisario is first and foremost a nationalist organization, with the independence of Western Sahara as its main goal, and it has stated that ideological disputes should be left for a future democratic Western Sahara to deal with. It views itself as a "front" encompassing all political trends in Sahrawi society, and not as a party. As a consequence, there is no party programme. The Sahrawi republic's constitution however gives a hint of the movements ideological context: in the early 1970s Polisario adopted a vaguely socialist rhetoric, in line with most national liberation movements of the time, but this was eventually abandoned in favour of a non-politicized Sahrawi nationalism. By the late 1970s, references to socialism in the republic's constitution were removed, and by 1991, the Polisario was explicitly pro-free-market. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Socialism refers to a broad array of ideologies and movements which aim to improve society through collective and egalitarian action; and to a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by the community. ... A free market describes a theoretical, idealised, or actual market where the prices of goods and services is arranged completely by the mutual non-coerced consent of sellers and buyers, determined generally by the supply and demand law with no government interference in the regulation of costs, supply and demand. ...

The Polisario has stated that it will, when Sahrawi self-determination has been achieved, either function as a party within the context of a multi-party system, or be completely disbanded. This is to be decided by a Polisario congress upon the achievement of Western Sahara's independence. Self-determination is a principle in international law that a people ought to be able to determine their own governmental forms and structure free from outside influence. ... A multi-party system is a type of party system. ...

Attitudes to armed struggle

Polisario has consistently denounced terrorism and attacks against civilians, [7] [8], and sent condolences to Morocco after Casablanca terror bombings of 2003. It describes its struggle as a "clean war of national liberation". Since 1989, when the cease-fire was first concluded, the movement has stated it will pursue its goal of Western Sahara's independence by peaceful means as long as Morocco complies with the cease-fire conditions, which include arranging a referendum on independence, while reserving the right to resume armed struggle if terms are breached in its view. Polisario's Abdelaziz has repeatedly stated that the Moroccan withdrawal from the 1991 Settlement Plan and refusal to sign the 2003 Baker Plan would logically lead to war from its perspective if the international community does not step in. [9] [10] [11] Terrorist redirects here. ... For other uses, see Casablanca (disambiguation). ... The Settlement Plan was an agreement between the Polisario Front and Morocco on the organization of a referendum, which would constitute an expression of self-determination for the Sahrawi people of the non-decolonized territory of Western Sahara, possibly leading to full independence. ... The Baker Plan A United Nations plan to grant Western Sahara self-determination. ...

In contrast, Polisario-Mauritanian relations following a peace treaty in 1979, with the latter's retreat from Western Sahara, have been quiet and generally neutral without reports of armed clashes from either side.

What Polisario and independence-minded sources refer to as Independence Intifada, a series of protests and riots by Sahrawis in the occupied territories, breaking out in 2005, was strongly supported by Polisario as a new pressure point on Morocco. Polisario's Abdelaziz characterised the protests and riots as a substitute path for the armed struggle, and indicated that if peaceful protest was squashed, in its view, without a referendum forthcoming, its armed forces would intervene. The Independence Intifada (intifada is Arabic for uprising) is a Sahrawi name for the disturbances, demonstrations and riots that broke out in May 2005 in the Moroccan-held parts of Western Sahara. ...

Algeria and the Polisario

Algeria has demonstrated an unconditional support for the Polisario since 1975, delivering arms, training, financial aid, food, without interruption for more than thirty years. At the level of international relations, Algeria appears as a main actor and negotiator in opposition to Morocco since the beginning of the Western Sahara conflict.

In an interview with The European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center (ESISC) commander Lahbib Ayoub, a founding member of Polisario, who returned to Morocco, explained that Algeria "had chosen" Mohammed Abdelaziz at the top of the Polisario organisation although he did not belong to the very closed circle of the organization's founders and "we could refuse them [the Algerians] nothing: they were giving us everything, or almost everything. He always considered himself to be their man" ^[2].

Structure

Organizational background

The pre-1991 Polisario structure was much different from the present institutional system. It was, despite a few changes, inherited from the pre-1975 period, when Polisario had functioned as a small, tightly-knit guerrilla movement, with a few hundred members. Consequently, it made few attempts at a division of powers, instead concentrating most of the decision-making power in the top echelons of Polisario for maximum battlefield efficiency. This meant most power rested in the hands of the Secretary General and a nine-man executive committee, elected at congresses and with different military and political responsibilities. A 21-man Politburo would further check decisions and connect the movement with its affiliated "mass organizations", UGTSARIO, UJSARIO and UNMS (see below). Politburo is short for Political Bureau. ... UGTSARIO, Spanish for Union General de Trabajadores de Saguia el Hamra y Río de Oro (The General Workers Union of Saguia el Hamra and Río de Oro), is the labor organization of the Front Polisario. ... UJSARIO, sometimes written UJSario, Unión de Juventud de Saguia el Hamra y Río de Oro (The Youth Union of Saguia el Hamra and Río de Oro) is the youth organization of the Front Polisario. ... UNMS, English abbreviation NUSW, Union Nacional de Mujeres (The National Union of Sahrawi Women) is the womens organization of the Front Polisario. ...

However, after the movement took on the role as a state-in-waiting after basing itself in the refugee camps of Tindouf Province, Algeria, in 1975, this structure proved incapable of dealing with its vastly expanded responsibilities. As a consequence, the old military structure was wedded to the new grass-roots refugee camp administration which had asserted itself in Tindouf, with its system of committees and elected camp assemblies. In 1976, the situation was further complicated by the Sahrawi republic assuming functions of government in the camps and Polisario-held territories of Western Sahara. The SADR and Polisario institutions would frequently overlap, and their division of labor was often hard to ascertain. Refugee camp for Rwandans located in what is now the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo following the Rwandan Genocide A refugee camp is a temporary camp built up by governments or NGOs (such as the ICRC) to receive refugees. ... Tindouf, also written Tinduf, (Arabic: تندوف) is wilaya in the west of Algeria, population 30,000 (not including approximately 160,000 Sahrawi refugees). ... Tindouf, also written Tinduf, (Arabic: تندوف) is a city and wilaya in the west of Algeria, population 30,000. ...

A more comprehensive merger of these different organizational patterns (military organization/refugee camps/SADR) was not achieved until the 1991 congress, when both the Polisario and SADR organizations were overhauled, integrated into the camp structure and further separated from each other. This followed protests calling for expanding the internal democracy of the movement, and also led to important shifts of personnel in the top tiers of both Polisario and SADR institutions.

Present structure

The organizational order described below applies today, and was roughly finalized in the 1991 internal reforms of the movement, although minor changes has since been effected.

The Polisario is led by a Secretary General. The first Secretary General was El-Ouali, followed by Mahfoud Ali Beiba as Interrim Secretary General upon his death. In 1976, Mohamed Abdelaziz was elected and has held the post ever since. The Secretary General is elected by the General Popular Congress (GPC), regularly convened every four years. The GPC is in turn composed of delegates from the Popular Congresses of the refugee camps in Tindouf, which are held biannually in each camp, and of delegates from the women's' organization (UNMS), youth organization (UJSARIO), workers' organization (UGTSARIO) and military delegates from the SPLA (see below). All residents of the camps have a vote in the Popular Congresses, and participate in the administrative work in the camp through base-level 11-person cells, which form the smallest unit of the refugee camp political structure. These will typically care for distribution of food, water and schooling in their area, joining in higher-level organs (encompassing several camp quarters) to cooperate and establish distribution chains. There is no formal membership of Polisario; instead, anyone who participates in its work or lives in the refugee camps is considered a member. El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed (1950-1976) Sahrawi nationalist leader. ... Mahfoud Ali Beiba is a Sahrawi nationalist politician and a member of the Polisario Front, an organisation that seeks the independence of Western Sahara. ... Mohamed Abdelaziz, pictured c. ... Tindouf, also written Tinduf, (Arabic: تندوف) is a city and wilaya in the west of Algeria, population 30,000. ... UNMS, English abbreviation NUSW, Union Nacional de Mujeres (The National Union of Sahrawi Women) is the womens organization of the Front Polisario. ... UJSARIO, sometimes written UJSario, Unión de Juventud de Saguia el Hamra y Río de Oro (The Youth Union of Saguia el Hamra and Río de Oro) is the youth organization of the Front Polisario. ... UGTSARIO, Spanish for Union General de Trabajadores de Saguia el Hamra y Río de Oro (The General Workers Union of Saguia el Hamra and Río de Oro), is the labor organization of the Front Polisario. ...

Between congresses, the supreme decision-making body is the National Secretariat, headed by the Secretary General. The NS is elected by the GPC. It is subdivided into committees handling defense, diplomatic affairs, etc. The 2003 NS, elected at the 11th GPC in Tifariti, Western Sahara, has 41 members. Twelve of these are secret delegates from the Moroccan-controlled areas of Western Sahara. This is shift in policy, as the Polisario traditionally confined political appointments to diaspora Sahrawis, for fear of infiltration and difficulties in communicating with Sahrawis in the Moroccan-controlled territories. It is probably intended to strengthen the movement's underground network in Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara, and link up with the rapidly growing Sahrawi civil rights activism. Tifariti is a small town or village in the Polisario-held parts of Western Sahara. ... For other uses, see Diaspora (disambiguation). ...

Pierre Olivier Louveaux, who went to the Tindouf camps along with a CARITAS humanitarian mission, has charged that the Polisario is controlled by a few people who put their personal interests first in the conclusion of the conflict:

"The Polisario leaders periodically exchange the various positions of responsibility between themselves. It is difficult to know whether there exist, within the leadership, different political tendencies or conflicting interests. It seems that the leaders, in total or only in part, are hugely benefiting from the current situation to consolidate their political, social and economic power. The fact that they consider themselves as leaders of a State with territory and population, and at the same time as refugees needing humanitarian aid to survive reveals a duality that they skilfully exploit." ^[3]

In 2004, an anti-ceasefire and anti-Abdelaziz opposition fraction, the Front Polisario Khat al-Shahid announced its existence, in the first break with the principle of "national unity" (i.e. working in one single organization to prevent internal conflict). It calls for reforms in the movement, as well as resumption of hostilities with Morocco. It remains of little importance to the conflict, however, and Polisario has refused dialogue with it, stating that political decisions must be taken within the established political system. Front Polisario Khat al-Shahid (Khat al-Shahid, variously transcribed, is Arabic for Line of the Martyr) is a minor breakout organization from, or faction within, the Front Polisario. ...

Armed forces (SPLA)

The Sahrawi Popular Army of Liberation, SPLA (often abbreviated in French, as ALPS), is the Polisario's army. [12] [13] Its commander-in-chief is the Secretary General, but it is also integrated into the SADR system through the institution of a SADR Minister of Defence. The SPLA's armed units are considered to have a manpower of possibly 6-7,000 active soldiers today, but during the war years its strength appears to have been significantly higher: up to 20,000 men. It has a potential manpower of many times that number, however, since both male and female refugees in the Tindouf camps undergo military training at the age of 18. Women formed auxiliary units protecting the camps during war years.

Equipment

Originally forced to capture its own weapons gun-by-gun as it began the anti-Spanish rebellion, and moving only on foot or camel-back, the Polisario multiplied its arsenals and military sophistication after striking an alliance with the anti-Moroccan Algerian government in 1975. The modern SPLA is equipped mainly with outdated Soviet-manufactured weaponry, donated by Algeria, but its arsenals display a bewildering variety of materiel, much of it captured from Spanish, Mauritanian or Moroccan forces and made in France, the United States, South Africa or Britain. The SPLA has several armored units, composed of old tanks and somewhat more modern armored cars and halftracks. SAM anti-aircraft missiles have felled several Moroccan fighter jets, and helped compensate for the complete Moroccan control of the skies. [14] State motto (Russian): Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Capital Moscow Official language None; Russian (de facto) Government Federation of Soviet republics Area  - Total  - % water 1st before collapse 22,402,200 km² Approx. ... Akash Missile Firing French Air Force Crotale battery Bendix Rim-8 Talos surface to air missile of the US Navy A surface-to-air missile (SAM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft. ... A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for attacking other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ...

One of the most innovative tactics of the SPLA was its early and extensive use of Land Rovers and other re-modelled civilian vehicles, mounting machine guns and employing them in great numbers, to overwhelm unprepared garrisoned outposts in rapid surprise strikes. This, of course, may also reflect the movement's difficulties in obtaining original military equipment, but nonetheless proved a powerful tactic. [15] Land Rover was the name of one of the first British civilian all-terrain utility vehicles, first produced by Rover in 1947. ...

On November 3, 2005, Polisario signed the Geneva Call, committing itself to a total ban on landmines, and later began to destroy its landmine stockpiles under international supervision. Morocco is one of 40 governments that have not signed the 1997 mine ban treaty. Both parties has used mines extensively in the conflict, but some mine-clearing operations have been carried out under MINURSO supervision since the cease fire agreement. [16] [17] is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Geneva Call is a Swiss-based NGO working to encourage non-state actors in international conflicts (such as guerrilla groups, liberation movements, and militias) to understand and respect international law, which is generally designed only to encompass states and state armies. ... U.S. Army soldier removes fuse from a Russian-made mine to clear a minefield outside of Fallujah, Iraq. ... Year 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar). ...

Tactics

The Polisario traditionally employed ghazzi tactics, i.e., motorized surprise raids over great distances, which were inspired by the traditional camel-back war parties of the Sahrawi tribes. However, after the construction of the Moroccan Wall this changed into tactics more resembling conventional warfare, with a focus on artillery, snipers and other long-range attacks. In both phases of the war, SPLA units relied on superior knowledge of the terrain, speed and surprise, and on the ability to retain experienced fighters. The SPLA is considered well organized, and its desert warfare tactics were groundbreaking. The United States Army is reported to have studied Polisario tactics in preparation for the 1991 Gulf War^{[citation needed]}. For other uses, see Camel (disambiguation). ... System of the Moroccan Walls in Western Sahara (territory outside them in yellow) The Moroccan Wall is a 2,720 km-long system of defensive walls/berms, running mainly through Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara. ... Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 – 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ... Arkansas Army National Guard soldiers practice sniper marksmanship at their firing range near Baghdad, Iraq in 2005. ... The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... Combatants United States Saudi Arabia & US-led Coalition Republic of Iraq Commanders Norman Schwarzkopf Saddam Hussein Strength 883,863 360,000 Casualties 240 killed in action, 776 wounded in action, 30 taken prisoner Est. ...

Defections

According to this report by ESISC, lack of democracy and an oppressive climate under the leadership of Polisario, has led to several members leaving the refugee camps in Tindouf. Some of them have joined the Moroccan side while others have gone into exile abroad. Among Polisario leaders who have left the camps for Morocco are the following, most of whom are now actively campaigning for Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara:

• Ahmed Moulay M’Hamed, known as Ahmed Cherif, former Head of the Security Services.
• Ayoub Lahbib, founder member of the Polisario and prominent military commander.
• Bahir Dkill, founder member of the Polisario, former representative of the organization in several countries.
• Brahim Hakim, former minister and representative of the Polisario in North America.
• Ghaouta Mohamed Ahmed Baba, a census official.
• Ghoulam Najem Mouichame, representative in Germany.
• Guajmoula Bent Ebbi, former member of the Politburo, and today Moroccan MP.
• Mohamed Salem Khatri, former member of the Polisario’s national leadership.
• Hametti Rabani, former Minister for Justice and Cults
• Mustapha Bouh, former Political Commissar for the army.
• Keltoum Khayati, formerly in charge of the organization of women.
• Omar Hadrami, founder member of the Front, head of internal security and member of the Politburo.
• Sidati El Ghallaoui, former representative of the Polisario in Rome and Malta.
• Mohamed Ahmed ben Omar Ouled M'Brirek, Polisario representative for the identification of Sahrawis ^[4]

For a more extensive list, see Former members of Polisario. Since the end of the 1980s, several members of Polisario have decided to discontinue their military or political activities for the Polisario Front. ...

Foreign relations

Support for the Polisario came mostly from African countries (especially "progressive" countries espousing strong anticolonial views, and those liberation movements who had only recently or not yet gained independence, such as African National Congress, SWAPO or MPLA). The Arab world has by and large supported Morocco; only Algeria, Libya have however, at different times, given any significant support to Polisario. Mauritania had recognized the Polisario's self-proclaimed republic in 1984, and Syria and South Yemen are alleged to have supported the Algerian position on the conflict when they all were members of the Front of Refusal. Additionally, many third world non-aligned countries have supported the Polisario, and later many reviewed their attitude and withdrew their recognitions of the Polisario's SADR. Ties with the Fretilin of East Timor (occupied by Indonesia in 1975) were exceptionally strong and remain so after that country's independence; both Polisario and Fretilin have argued that there are numerous historical parallels between the two conflicts. [18] [19] [20] This article is about Progressivism. ... hey, frank the tank rocks ur mom. ... For political parties with similar names in other countries, see Northern Rhodesian African National Congress and Zambian African National Congress. ... The South-West Africa Peoples Organisation (SWAPO) was founded, along with a number of other groups, as a liberation organisation: following the first world war, South-West Africa — formerly a German colony — was turned over to South Africa to rule as a mandate for the British. ... The MPLA flag The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (Movimiento Popular de Libertação de Angola) is an Angolan political party that has ruled the country since independence in 1975. ... Map of Arab League states in dark green with non-Arab areas in light green and Mauritania, Somalia and Djibouti in striped green due to their Arab League membership but non-Arab population. ... For the Jamaican reggae band, see Third World (band). ... The Non-Aligned Movement, or NAM is an international organization of over 100 states which consider themselves not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. ... FRETILINs flag The Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Portuguese: Frente Revolucionária de Timor-Leste Independente or FRETILIN) was a resistance movement which fought for the independence of East Timor, first from Portugal and then from Indonesia, between 1974 and 1998. ...

The movement's main political and military backers were originally Algeria and Libya, with Cuba coming a very distant third. In the mid-80s, Libya detached itself from the conflict, as it joined Morocco in a short-lived union. Mauritania also attempts to avoid involvement and balance between Morocco and Polisario's backers in Algeria, despite formally recognizing the SADR as Western Sahara's government since 1984 and having a substantial Sahrawi refugee population on its territory. Support from Algeria remains strong however, despite the country's preoccupation with its own civil war. The Polisario is practically dependent on its bases and refugee camps, located on Algerian soil. While Algeria recognizes the Sahrawis' right to wage an armed struggle against Morocco, and has helped equip the SPLA army, the government also seems to have barred Polisario from returning to armed struggle post-1991, attempting to curry favor from the US and France and to avoid inflaming its already poor relations with Morocco. [21] Combatants Algerian government Islamic Armed Movement (MIA) Islamic Salvation Army (AIS) others. ...

Apart from Algerian military, material and humanitarian aid, food and emergency resources are provided by international organizations such as the WHO and UNHCR. Valuable contributions also come from the strong Spanish solidarity organizations. Look up who in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (established December 14, 1950) protects and supports refugees at the request of a government or the United Nations and assists in their return or resettlement. ...

Western Sahara in the Cold War

The Western Sahara conflict's most intense phase (of open warfare) occurred during the Cold War, but the conflict was never fully dragged into the US-Soviet dynamics in the way that many others were. This was mainly because both sides tried to avoid overt involvement, which would necessitate a crash in relations with either Morocco or Algeria - the major North African players -, and neither viewed it as an important front. Morocco was firmly entrenched in the US camp, whereas Algeria aligned generally with the Soviet Union during the 1970s, and took a more independent "third-worldist" position after that. For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... United States may refer to: Places: United States of America SS United States, the fastest ocean liner ever built. ... Soviet redirects here. ... North Africa is the Mediterranean, northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ...

The United States claimed political neutrality on the issue, but militarily backed Morocco against Polisario during the Cold War, especially during the Reagan administration. Despite this, Polisario never received counter-support from the Soviet Union (or the People's Republic of China, the third and junior player in the Cold War). Instead, the entire East Bloc decided in favour of ties and trade with Morocco and refused to recognize the SADR. This made the Polisario almost wholly dependent mainly on Algeria and Libya and some African and Latin American third world countries for political support, plus some NGOs from European countries (Sweden, Norway, Spain, etc) which generally only approached the issue from a humanitarian angle. With the cease-fire coinciding with the end of the Cold War, world interest in the conflict seemed to expire in the 1990s as the Sahara question gradually sank from public consciousness due to decreasing media attention. Reagan, an Irish surname, may refer to: // Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of The United States Nancy Reagan, the wife of Ronald Reagan and influential First Lady Ron Reagan, President Reagans son and liberal journalist Michael Reagan, President Reagans son and conservative talk show host Maureen Reagan, President... During the Cold War, the Eastern Bloc (or Soviet Bloc) comprised the following Central and Eastern European countries: Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Poland, Albania (until the early 1960s, see below), the Soviet Union, and Czechoslovakia. ...

International recognitions of SADR

A main front of the diplomatic struggle between Morocco and Polisario is over international recognitions of the SADR as Western Sahara's would-be legitimate government. In 2004, South Africa announced formal recognition of the SADR, delayed for 10 years despite unequivocal promises by Nelson Mandela as apartheid fell. This came since the announced referendum for Western Sahara was never held. Kenya and Uruguay followed in 2005, and relations were upgraded in some other countries, while recognition of the SADR was cancelled by others (Albania, Chad, Serbia); in 2006, Kenya suspended its decision to recognize the SADR to act as a mediating party. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (IPA: ) (born 18 July 1918) is the former President of South Africa, and the first to be elected in fully representative democratic elections. ... A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Anthem Serbia() on the European continent() Capital (and largest city) Belgrade Official languages Serbian 1 Recognised regional languages Hungarian, Croatian, Slovak, Romanian, Rusyn 2 Albanian 3 Government Semi-presidential republic  -  President Boris Tadić  -  Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica Establishment  -  Formation 812   -  Kingdom established 1217   -  Empire established 1346   -  Independence lost to...

For a comprehensive list of state recognitions of the competing claims by SADR and Morocco, see this article. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Morocco's foreign relations
• History of Western Sahara
• Independence Intifada
• Politics of Western Sahara
• Zemla Intifada
• Former members of Polisario

Embassy of Morocco in Ottawa, Canada Morocco maintains close relations with the European Union, especially the former colonial rulers, France and Spain. ... // Western Sahara area has never formed a state in the modern sense of the word. ... The Independence Intifada (intifada is Arabic for uprising) is a Sahrawi name for the disturbances, demonstrations and riots that broke out in May 2005 in the Moroccan-held parts of Western Sahara. ... Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara Data code: WI Government type: legal status of territory and question of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which... The Zemla Intifada (Intifada means uprising) is the name for the disturbances of June 17, 1970, which culminated in a massacre by Spanish forces in the Zemla quarters of El-Aaiun, Western Sahara (then Spanish Sahara). ... Since the end of the 1980s, several members of Polisario have decided to discontinue their military or political activities for the Polisario Front. ...

External links

• The Association for a Free & Fair Referendum in Western Sahara
• Report of an independent Committee of inquiry into allegations of violations of Human Rights against the Polisario Front
• ESISC's critical report on the refugee camps durign the last floodings
• France Libertés - Report: International Mission of Inquiry - The Conditions of Detentions of the Moroccan POWs Detained in Tindouf (Algeria)
• Michael Palin's visit to Smara Refugee Camp
• The European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center (ESISC) report on the Polisario
• Western Sahara (pro-Polisario view)
• Western Sahara Online (pro-Moroccan view)

Further reading

• Jarat Chopra, United Nations Determination of the Western Saharan Self (Norwegian Institute of Foreign Affairs 1994)
• Tony Hodges, Western Sahara. The Roots of a Desert War (Lawrence & Hill 1983)
• Leo Kamil, Fueling the Fire. U.S. policy & the Western Sahara Conflict (Red Sea Press 1987)
• Anthony G. Pazzanita & Tony Hodges, Historical dictionary of Western Sahara (2nd ed. Scarecrow Press 1994)
• Toby Shelley, Endgame in the Western Sahara (Zed Books 2004)
• Forced Migration Organization: FMO Research Guide Bibliography