Greater Morocco

Encyclopedia : G : GR : GRE : Greater Morocco

This article is part of the series:
The Western Sahara conflict

Western Sahara

Spanish Sahara
Greater Morocco
Green March
Madrid Accords

ICJ Advisory Opinion
MINURSO
Settlement Plan
Houston Agreement
Baker Plan
Western Sahara Authority

Politics of Western Sahara

Morocco
Politics of Morocco
Southern Provinces
Moroccan Wall
Independence Intifada

Sahrawi Republic
Free Zone
Human rights in Western Sahara

^[edit]

In the early 1940's, the Moroccan nationalist party - Istiqlal - used the irredentist concept of "Greater Morocco" as a propaganda tool to rally support of Moroccan citizens against French colonial rule. After Morocco gained independence in 1956, and the death of King Mohammed V, the monarchy of King Hassan II revived the "Greater Morocco" as a continuation of the ongoing independence process. This has been successful, as Morocco quickly (re)acquired possessions such as the Tarfaya Strip (after a brief war with Spain), and much of the territory between Ceuta and Melilla, which have been after the Algeciras Conference.

The area of "Greater Morocco" composed a far larger territory than current Morocco, though, including: all of Western Sahara, the whole of Mauritania along with the Bechar and Tindouf and the Touat areas in Algeria, portions of western Mali and northern Senegal; its aspirations include the Spanish 'plazas de soberanía', which include the cities of Ceuta and Melilla [link].

A brief border war took place between Morocco and Algeria in 1963 (immediately after Algeria became independent from France) over Tindouf and Bechar. Morocco claimed Spanish Sahara from Spain at its accession to independence in 1956. Spanish colonial possessions within Morocco were given to Moroccan sovereignty. First, Tarfaya-Tantan province in 1958, and then the sovereignty of Ifni in 1969 was transferred from Spain, following the UN General Assembly Resolution 2072.

In the middle of an economic crisis and after three failed coups d'état, Hassan II decided to send more than 350,000 unarmed civilians towards Spanish-colonized Sahara (Green March). His intentions were to regain the lower half of the Moroccan Kingdom, and induce more enthusiasm in his population, all without shedding a drop of blood. This led to the fury of Polisario, a guerrilla group which fought Spain for independence starting in 1973 and which was since hosted and supported by Algeria. During the Madrid Accords in 1975, Morocco negotiated with Spain and Mauritania on how to evacuate Spanish troops and partition the territory. Morocco was willing to cede the lower one-third in favor of the rich phosphates in the north – this acquisition could at once revive nationalistic confidence in the monarchy and give the economy a shot in the arm. Spain received (and still receives) 35% of the income from phosphate mining, primarily in Laayoune and Bou Craa.

Fighting commenced between Polisario and both Morocco and Maurtinia. In 1978, Mauritania proved too weak economically and militarily to keep an interest in the territory ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}, and formally gave up its claim in 1979 after a military coup that overthrew president Oueld Dadda, after which the area was promptly annexed by Morocco. The only direct Algerian military involvement was in the battle of Amgala, after which its involvement was indirect by supporting the Polisario front politically and militarily.

The term "Greater Morocco" or Greater Maghreb is occasionally used in the press and royal proclamations as a sign of political unity between the Kingdom of Morocco proper and the other North African nations: Mauritania, Algeria and Tunisia. The term is ambiguous since "Maghreb" in Arabic, means both the region of North-west Africa, and Morocco ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}.

Greater Morocco

See also