Guerilla War in Western Sahara

1. Guerilla war in Western Sahara: Polisario vs. Morocco and Mauritania 12.11. 2014 Colonel János Besenyő (PhD)

2. Agenda • Western Sahara • Beginnings, Sahrawi nationalism – fight for Spanish Sahara • Occupation of Western Sahara • Guerilla war against the occupying countries • Mauritania • The war between Morocco and the Polisario • Moroccan change of strategy • Road to the agreement, end of the war • Conclusion

3. Western Sahara • Area - 266 000 km • Desert, arid climate, scanty vegetation, plain, low mountains • One of the most impoverished area in Africa, but significant raw materials: phosphate, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, special metals, fishing • Centers: Laayoune, Boujdour, Dakhla, Smara • Population: 290 000 + 155 000 in the refugee camps

4. Sahrawi nationalism, fight for Spanish Sahara • Spanish colony (from 1884), several conceptions from the 1970´s – Spanish overseas county, autonomy, independence • 1973 – uprising against the Spanish • 1974 – Spanish counter-attack „Barrido operation”, then referendum • Territory claims of Morocco and Mauritania – Algeria supports the Polisario (representing the natives) and the self-government – the natives want independency! • 1974-75 – UN-participation, dispatchment of investigating committee, mediation • 15 December 1974 – decision of the International Court of Justice • 06-09 September 1975 – Green March • 14 November 1975 – Madrid Accords

5. Occupation of Western Sahara • 15 November 1975 – the Polisario rejects the Madrid Accords • Balance of forces, expectations • Morocco: 25000 • Mauritania: 3000 • Sahrawians: 3-5000 – Algeria, Libya • November 1975 – the Moroccan – Mauritanian invasion begins • Moroccans: El-Aaiun, phosphate mines of Bou Craa, Smara, Farsia, Jdiriya, Haousa • Mauritanians: La Guerra, Tichla, Argoub, Dakhla (Villa Cisneros) • Sahrawi defence, then counter-attack (Zouerat, Ain Ben Tili, Bir Moghrein, Inal) – evacuation of the civilian population • February 1976 – withdrawal of the Spanish • 14 April 1976 – division of Western Sahara France, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, and Ivory Coast

6. Guerilla war against the occupying countries • Tactical change of the Sahrawians: • Defensive, instead of larger magnitude-operations guerilla warfare (ghazzi) • Several tribes lived in South-Morocco and Mauritania who supported the Polisario • Algerian support – material, financial and safe shelter • The larger towns, fortresses are in the hands of Morocco and Mauritania, but the Sahrawi groups in the desert (katib) roam freely • The provisional routes are continuously attacked • The 20 May 1976-offensive • 11 May 1976 – El-Aaiun, Smara, BouCraa, Bir Moghrein, Chinguetti • 08 June 1976 – Nouakchott, as well as Tan-Tan, Jdiria and Guelta-Zemmour

7. POLISARIO

8. Morocco

9. Mauritania • Weaker link of chain: inner economic and ethnic tensions • Actions of Sahrawians: military, political and economic, altogether destabilization of Mauritania Military putsch of Ahmed Ould Bouceif(10 September 1978) increasement of the number of the military (17 000), more up-to-date weapons • Co-ordinated attacks of the Polisario-units: • Nouakchott, Zuerat, Nema, Tisitt, railway line • Active participation of France (Lamantin operation), Moroccan military and economic aid • 12 September 1978 – cease-fire, instability, another putsch • 05 August 1979 – Algiers Agreement, Mauritania leaves the conflict • 08 August 1979 – Morocco occupies Tiris El-Gharbiya

10. War of Morocco and the Polisario • Guerilla warfare – „hit and run” tactics – Continuous attacks Laayoune, phosphate mines (Bou Craa) • January 1979 – „Boumedienne offensive” – Lem Siyed, Tan-Tan (South-Morocco!) • August 1979 – Lebuirat, Zag, Sidi Amara, Guelb Ben Rzouk • October 1979 – Smara, Zag, Mahbas, Tata, oasis of M’hamid • Opposing forces: • Morocco – USA, Saudi Arabia, France, South Africa, Egypt, Iran, Belgium, Italy, Jordan, Libya, Iraq, Brazil, Spain, Soviet Union and Romania – modern weapons, intelligence and training support, financial-economic aid • Polisario – Algeria, Libya, Cuba, German Democratic Republic (GDR) and North-Korea – mostly Russian military equipment and captured accessories, training support, minimal economic aid • „Who wants to defend too much, can´t defend nothing” – scattering of Moroccan forces, too lengthy supply routes, insufficiency of C2, mistrust of the ruler towards the leaders of the army, rivalry of the military and the gendarmerie, lack of training, equipment, insufficiency of the staff of officers, lack of unified COIN strategy – military successes of the Polisario

11. Moroccan change of strategy • Shock of the Moroccan military and political leadership – Colonel Ahmed Dlimi acquires full power: • Improvement of the military leadership, extermination of the Moroccan desert bases • 05 November 1979 – operations Uhud, Iman, Larak and Zelleka • Transformation of the Western Saharan units, creation of partisan-hunter corps, well-armed, fast-movement jeep-units • Improvement of training – American Green Berets • Displacement of the civilian population from the operational area • „Walls” strategy • Gaining the trust of the Sahrawians living in the occupied territories • 1980-1987 – Polisario counter-attack – Tarfaya, Boujdaor, Ouarkziz Valley, Tigzert Highlands, Guelta-Zemmour – military and diplomatic disadvantage, Morocco takes the initiative, controls the conflict, the Sahrawians suffer great losses

14. Road to agreement, end of the war • Morocco controls the conflict militarily, „excluded” the Polisario from the occupied territories, which is successful more and more at the diplomatic area • The Polisario receives less and less support from Algeria, the state institutions don´t develop at the territories under its control • On 12 November 1998: the call of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for negotiations • 04-05 January 1989 – meeting of King Hassan II and the Polisario leaders • 1989 – attacks of the Polisario against the Berm • Summer of 1991 – escalation of the situation • 04-29 August 1991 – the Moroccan Army begins the Tifariti offensive (Operation Rattle) – victory, then one-sided withdrawal • 06 September 1991 – cease-fire, creation of MINURSO

15. Conclusion • Local conflict, fast regionalization • Characteristics of COIN operations • Initial successes of Sahrawi guerillas, defeat of Mauritania, the guerilla warfare is only partially successful against the more stable Morocco • Morocco – learning from mistakes of Mauritania and its own faults – wins the military conflict turning it from a lost position – the use of military, diplomatic and economic means • Acquiring military advantage, keeping the conflict at a low level

16. Sources • János Besenyő: Western Sahara, Publikon Publishers, Pécs, 2009, 197 p, ISBN: 978-963-88332-0-4, http://mek.oszk.hu/12900/12953/12953.pdf • János Besenyő: Hungarian logistics specialist working for UN’s Western Sahara mission – AARMS (Miklós Zrínyi National Defence University), Volume 7, Issue 1. 2008, pp. 155-156, https://figshare.com/articles/Hungarian_logistics_specialist_working_for_UN_s_Western_Sahara_mission/7015301 • János Besenyő: The Occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco and Mauritania –Periodical of the Scientificboard of Military Security Office, 2010, Special Issue, pp. 76-94, http://knbsz.gov.hu/hu/letoltes/szsz/2010_1_spec.pdf • János Besenyő: Peacekeeping mission in Maghreb: The MINURSO – Tradecraft Review, Periodical of the Military National Security Service, 2012, 1. Special Issue, pp. 125-144, http://knbsz.gov.hu/hu/letoltes/szsz/2012_1_spec.pdf and https://figshare.com/articles/Peacekeeping_mission_in_Maghreb_The_MINURSO/7021922 • János Besenyő: Guerrilla Operations in Western Sahara: The Polisario versus Morocco and Mauritania, Connections: The Quarterly Journal (ISSN: 1812-1098) Vol. 16: (No. 3. Summer 2017) pp. 23-45. (2017), http://connections-qj.org/article/guerrilla-operations-western-sahara-polisario-versus-morocco-and-mauritania

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