1970s in Morocco
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History of Morocco |
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In the 1970s in Morocco, after two coup attempts in
The Spanish
A defining theme of Moroccan history and foreign policy is the bitter struggle over
In early 1976, Spain ceded Western Sahara administration's to Morocco and Mauritania. Morocco assumed control over the northern two-thirds of the territory and conceded the remaining portion in the south to Mauritania. An assembly of Saharan tribal leaders duly acknowledged Moroccan sovereignty. However, buoyed by the increasing defection of the chiefs to its cause, the Polisario drew up a constitution and announced the formation of the
Morocco eventually sent a large portion of its combat forces into Western Sahara to confront the Polisario's forces, which were relatively small but well-equipped, highly mobile, and resourceful, using Algerian bases for quick strikes against targets deep inside Morocco and Mauritania as well as for operations in Western Sahara. In August 1979, after suffering heavy military losses, Mauritania renounced its claim to Western Sahara and signed a peace treaty with the Polisario, in which the Islamic republic ceded its part of Western Sahara to the SADR. By the same month, Morocco annexed the territory formerly controlled by Mauritanians.