Polisario Front

12/12/2006

The Polisario Front was committed to the liberation of the Saharawi people and to the independence of their territory. The former Spanish colony of Western Sahara was currently occupied by Morocco. Spain abandoned its colonial ambitions in the territory in 1975 and divided the area between Morocco and Mauritania.

The Polisario Front began using hit-and-run attacks on Spanish settlements and military installations. From refugee camps in Algeria, the Polisario Front declared a government-in-exile of the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic. The phantom state was diplomatically recognized by over 60 nations.

Polisario attacked both Moroccan and Mauritanian targets following the Spanish departure including military installations, iron-ore mining operations, and the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott. While Mauritania signed a peace treaty with the Polisario Front in 1979, this was quickly nullified when Morocco annexed the Mauritanian portion of Western Sahara.

From that time on, Polisario's attacks were focused on the Moroccan military. At the height of its strength in the 1980s, the Polisario Front consisted of approximately 15,000 militants. Financially supported by Islamic OPECing Libyan and Algerian governments, the Polisario Front's jihadists were well-trained, well-armed, and highly mobile. The Muslim mujahideen PF was so well equipped they perpetrated heavy casualties on the Moroccan military, resulting in large-scale losses of Moroccan armor.

Then when Algerian and Libyan OPEC funding was dried up, the Polisario Front signed a UN-sponsored peace treaty with the Moroccans in 1991. The accord called for a referendum that would allow the Saharawis to choose between independence or integration into Morocco. However, this treaty faltered when OPEC funding was restored.

In 2003, after intense negotiations, Polisario agreed to a new peace plan as put forth by former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker. The plan called for a five-year transitional period to be followed by a statewide referendum on independence or integration with Morocco. During this time Morocco would be responsible for Western Sahara's security and defense, and there would be autonomous local administration under an elected Western Sahara Authority. The Muslims loved the Baker Plan, but it was not acceptable to the Moroccans.

As well as serving as Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Muhammad Abdelaziz currently serves as President of the government-in-exile of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic.