Algerian-Moroccan border war
| date | October 1963 |
|---|---|
| place | Algeria |
| output | Closure of the border south of Figuig, Morocco / Béni Ounif, Algeria, military stalemate, territorial claims were fought off by Algeria |
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The border war between Morocco and Algeria , also known as Guerre des sables (French "sand war"), took place in October 1963.
The Tindūf region, which belongs to Algeria, represents the only Algerian land access to Western Sahara and is therefore of strategic importance. There are also mineral resources in the area, including phosphates .
King Hassan II of Morocco, encouraged by the ideology of a " Greater Morocco " propagated by the national-conservative Istiqlal party, tried to conquer the Tindūf area and incorporate it into his national territory. After some border incidents between July and September 1963, Moroccan troops crossed the border line on October 1, 1963 and penetrated 30 to 45 kilometers south of Mhamid into Algerian territory, where they posed a threat to the road connection to the Tindūf oasis . After fighting on October 8 and 9, the Moroccans were pushed back by Algerian troops . On October 14th, Moroccan soldiers filled their vacant posts again, prompting Algerian President Ahmed Ben Bella to mobilize his country across the board. Nevertheless, Morocco stated on October 26th that it had advanced with a unit up to 15 kilometers from Tindūf.
The dispute over the border is seen as an occasion for Hassan II to invade in order to gain influence on Algerian politics. He feared a political alliance between Algeria, Egypt and possibly the opposition in his country.
From October 16 to 25, the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie visited both countries to arrange a meeting between the heads of state. On October 29th and 30th, Hassan II and Ben Bella met in Bamako , Mali, and agreed a ceasefire that began on November 1st. On February 20, 1964, the previous demilitarized zone was expanded in a secret agreement. The troops of both countries withdrew a few kilometers behind the positions they had occupied before the outbreak of hostilities in October 1963.
The tensions persisted in the years that followed. It was not until 1972 that Morocco signed a border treaty with Algeria in which it gave up its claims to the Tindūf area.
The death toll is estimated at around 1,000.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Tony Hodges: Western Sahara. The Roots of a Desert War. Lawrence Hill Company, Westport (Connecticut) 1983, pp. 92-95