Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra? Polisario?
Do the above names ring a bell? Most probably not, neither does the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. SADR, also called Western Sahara is a mostly Moroccan-controlled territory in North Africa, with a surface area of about 266,000 square kilometers. Its would be capital city, if size was a determinant is Laâyoune, the largest city.
Western Sahara has been on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories since the 1960s when it was a Spanish colony. The Kingdom of Morocco and the Algerian-backed Polisario Front separatist movement, with its SADR government in Tindouf (Algeria), dispute control of the territory.
The first time I heard of Western Sahara I was a small boy of about 14 years. While leisurely reading a magazine, there was a feature about Moroccan soldiers who had been taken captive by the Polisario and were still in custody, many years later. It was a heart rending and captivating story of survival. The name Polisario never left my mind.
Right after Spain moved towards decolonization and withdrew from Western Sahara on 14 November 1975, Morocco and Mauritania each moved to annex the territory. They however met immense violent opposition from Polisario guerillas backed by Algeria and Mauritania backed away in 1979, following bombings of its cities. Morocco continues to hold on to the territory, with the entire coastal strip under its control.
Armed conflict ended under a UN overseen ceasefire in 1991. Several agreements and proposals for a referendum to self governance have been reached and made over the years with none ever taking root. Hopes of Western Sahara holding any referendum on independence are bleak with King Mohammed VI of Morocco saying, "We [Morocco] shall not give up one inch of our beloved Sahara, not a grain of its sand".
SADR determination to independence is supported by a substantial number of countries just as Morocco's stand is. At present an impasse reigns between the two sides with none giving away even the slightest intimation of giving in.
Read more on Western Sahara here.
Image credit: Wikipedia.
This part was always a part of Morocco.
Here is for instance what happens in tidouf (algeria) where polisario is now lacted and capturing civilian population :
http://mounirbensalah.org/2010/02/15/torture-droits-de-lhomme-des-refugies-de-tindouf-bafoues/