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Country :Western Sahara Official name: Western Sahara (The legal status of the territory and the issue of sovereignty are unresolved; they are contested by Morocco and Polisario, which in Feb 1976, formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). |
Historical profile
The far west of the Sahara has been populated by Moors, Tuaregs and Tubus from the fifth century.
During the thirteenth there was migration to the region of people from Yemen.
The mixture of cultures and people blended and became known in the eighteenth century as the Ahl Essahel.
1884 In order to protect the Canary Islands, Spain occupied the Saharan coast between Cape Blanc and Cape Boujdour.
1895 Sheikh Ma al Aini fought the Spanish-French invaders with the help of the Sultan of Morocco.
1904 France and Spain established the borders of the Spanish Sahara.
1910 The Sultan of Morocco, under French pressure, stopped assisting the rebels, who then extended their fighting into Morocco.
1933 The French advanced into Algeria.
1936 Fighting continued until Spain overcame the rebels and instituted full colonial rule. Phosphate deposits were found in the territory.
1959–74 More than US$160 million was invested in the region.
1967–73 Movements against colonialism increased. The Frente para la Liberación de Saguia al Hamra y Río de Oro (Polisario) (Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia al Hamra and Río de Oro) was formed on 10 May 1973.
1975 After demonstrations and assassination attempts, in order to unify his nation, King Hassan II of Morocco organised the Green March, mobilising 350,000 Moroccans who marched into the Sahara in November. Spain handed over the territory to Morocco and Mauritania, and Polisario was defeated.
1976 The Spanish withdrew from the region. On 27 February, Polisario formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
1979 Mauritania signed a peace treaty with Polisario.
1980s Morocco built a fortified wall stretching 2,500km from the Moroccan border to near the Mauritanian border in the south.
1991 The Moroccan government settled citizens in the territory to ensure their voter eligibility. The war between about 15,000 Polisario guerrilla fighters and Morocco's army ended with a UN-negotiated cease-fire. The World Security Council of the UN decided to call a referendum in the Western Sahara.
1997 Talks between the Moroccan government and Algeria-based Polisario resulted in an agreement to a code of conduct for voter identification for a referendum campaign.
2000 Talks were held in London between Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and Polisario. Further talks were held in Berlin. Since 1991, the UN has been attempting to identify eligible voters and arrange a referendum to vote for the Sahara region to become independent, or to remain part of Morocco.
2001 The UN Security Council extended the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 28 February 2002.
2002 The UN's legal counsel instructed the Security Council that Morocco should not have issued oil-exploration rights to French and American companies in 2001, without the Western Saharans' consent.
2003 Abdelkader Taleb Oumar was named to replace Bouchraya Beyoun as prime minister.
2004 In June 2003, James Baker resigned after seven years as the UN's special representative for Western Sahara; it was reported that Morocco would not contemplate holding a referendum that would include the possibility of independence, but it may consider granting wider autonomy.
2005 In May 2005, the Polisario movement invited international oil companies to bid for 12 offshore exploration licences.
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