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28-486: The CORCAS is a consultative body for proposals related to what Morocco calls their Southern Provinces , CORCAS also defends Morocco's claim over Western Sahara in local media and abroad. The CORCAS fully condemns the refugee camps of Tindouf and the Polisario Front, citing human rights concerns. There are 141 members of CORCAS, mostly Moroccan Sahrawi politicians and tribal leaders. The members were appointed by

56-412: A prospective independent state. Tiris al-Gharbiyya Tiris al-Gharbiyya ( Arabic : تيرس الغربية , romanized :  Tīris al-Ġarbiyya , lit.   'Western Tiris') was the name for the area of Western Sahara under Mauritanian control between 1975 and 1979. Mauritania annexed the southern third of the former Spanish colony of Spanish Sahara in 1975 after

84-596: Is frequently used on Moroccan state television (e.g. weather forecasts, news maps, and official statements). Western Sahara was formerly a Spanish colony known as the Spanish Sahara . In the 1970s, Spain faced mounting pressure from Morocco to relinquish the territory, culminating in the Green March , a large-scale demonstration organized by the Moroccan government on November 6, 1975. The Green March

112-596: Is separated from the eastern third controlled by the Polisario Front, referred to by them as the Free Zone , by the Moroccan Western Sahara Wall or "the Berm". The ceasefire line corresponds to the route of the Berm, with both sides asserting sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic has received recognition from 84 nations and is a full member of

140-503: Is the rich Atlantic fishing waters. They were never put to use by Mauritania, but have since been fished by Morocco and foreign ships under Moroccan licenses. The name "Tiris" refers to a desert plain of the Sahara . Mauritania's northernmost province (in its internationally recognized territory) is similarly called Tiris Zemmour , where "Zemmour" refers to a mountain range in central Western Sahara. The Ould Daddah government's claims to

168-706: The African Union , though not of the UN. The Arab League implicitly recognizes Moroccan territorial integrity, albeit with significant reservations from Algeria and Syria. The Moroccan government exercises control over approximately two-thirds of Western Sahara (the portion west of the Berm ), while the remaining part constitutes the Polisario Front-controlled Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic . Morocco treats

196-554: The Madrid Accords , with Morocco taking the northern two-thirds ( Saguia el-Hamra and the northern half of Río de Oro ) as its Southern Provinces . Both countries claimed historical rights over the area, while the United Nations demanded that the indigenous population ( Sahrawis ) had a right to self-determination , and should be allowed to decide through a referendum whether the territory should join either of

224-554: The Polisario Front , initiated a guerrilla war on February 27, 1976, with significant financial and logistical support from Algeria and Libya . Their goal was to achieve independence for the territory under the banner of the " Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic " (SADR). After years of conflict in Western Sahara, Mauritania signed a peace agreement with the Polisario Front in 1979, formally renouncing its claim to

252-557: The Algerian Tindouf Province in 1975. A few minor settlements dotted the coast, and the largest of these, Dakhla (formerly Villa Cisneros), was made the provincial capital. While some reports indicate the territory may hold important quantities of mineral resources such as iron – and there is speculation, but no proof of, off-shore oil – the raging war prevented any serious exploration efforts. It remains mostly unexplored and unexploited to this day. The exception

280-571: The King of Morocco and support Morocco's claim on Western Sahara. Khalili Erguibi , the father of the late Polisario Front leader and SADR president, Mohamed Abdelaziz was a member of CORCAS until his death in 2017. The president of CORCAS, Khalihenna Ould-Errachid , founded the Partido de Unión Nacional Saharaui (PUNS) in 1974, the party supported the Spanish colonization of Spanish Sahara . After

308-614: The Moroccan-administered portion of Western Sahara (accounting for approx. 70% of the disputed territory ). By 2015, it was estimated that Moroccan settlers constituted at least two-thirds of the 500,000 inhabitants . In addition to offering a right of return for the Sahrawi refugees , the Sahrawi government in exile expressed a willingness to grant Sahrawi citizenship to Moroccan settlers and their descendants in

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336-588: The SADR. Minor parts of the Mauritanian political opposition will occasionally express interest in the area, although direct advocacy for retaking it is very rare. Other groups support either Polisario or Morocco. The official position of most parties is to support any outcome acceptable to both remaining sides of the conflict, and that has also been the government's position since the late 1980s, even if it has varied in tune with relations with Morocco. The territory

364-652: The United Nations, where Western Sahara is discussed. Most notably, Ould-Errachid has met with the President of the People's Republic of China , Hu Jintao . In an interview with the independent Moroccan weekly magazine Le Journal Hebdomadaire , the ex-chairman of CORCAS' Human Rights Commission and head of the Association of Sahrawi Victims of Repression in the Tindouf Camps, El Houcine Baïda , criticized

392-506: The conflict, surrendering its claims to any part of Western Sahara, and pulling out all its troops. The areas occupied by Mauritania were entered by Morocco, which has since claimed ownership over the entire territory, despite continued opposition by Polisario, and its main backer, Algeria . Mauritanian President Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla in 1984 proceeded to recognize the Polisario -backed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) as

420-484: The council's affairs despotically, like "a new Franco ". Southern Provinces 25°N 13°W  /  25°N 13°W  / 25; -13 The Southern Provinces or Moroccan Sahara are the terms used by the Moroccan government to refer to the occupied territory of Western Sahara . These designations encompass the entirety of Western Sahara, which spans three of Morocco's 12 top-level administrative regions . The term "Southern Provinces"

448-474: The country's iron ore to the coast for export), as well as the costs of the war effort, soon brought the country to the brink of economic collapse, and produced increasing tensions in the Army and Government apparatus. In 1978, the one-party government of Moktar Ould Daddah was severely compromised by the failing war effort, and fell to a coup by disgruntled Army officers. Mauritania then disengaged from

476-537: The departure of the Spanish in 1975 and the disbanding of the PUNS, Ould-Errachid pledged allegiance to the king of Morocco at the time, Hassan II and helped organize the Green March , he is an active defender of Morocco's claim over Western Sahara. Members of CORCAS are regularly featured in the Moroccan press. The president of CORCAS, Khalihenna Ould-Errachid, regularly attends meetings in international forums, such as

504-447: The entire Spanish Sahara had historically constituted part of " Bilad Chinguetti ", which it argued had been an undeclared tribal and religious community. But it also recognized that there had never been a Mauritanian state to claim the territory, since Mauritania itself was a modern-day creation of French colonialism . The court recognized the importance of these cultural links, but announced that they had not constituted sovereignty over

532-514: The lack of tackling human rights issues, and about the manner which Ould-Errachid runs the Council. In his opinion, the country's actions in the Western Sahara were alienating Sahrawis, and thus could push more youth towards what he defined as separatism. He further claimed that most of the organization's members had no knowledge of the government's autonomy plan - that they were supposedly responsible for drafting - and that president Ould-Errachid runs

560-545: The legitimate sovereign of the area. After his toppling in yet another military coup d'état later the same year, this position was increasingly downplayed – though never explicitly overturned – in order to appease Morocco. Western Tiris was the lower half of Río de Oro , the southern province of the former Spanish Sahara , comprising 88,000 km (55,000 mi) with a population of 12,897. It consisted mostly of barren desert terrain, scarcely populated except by some thousands of Sahrawi nomads, many of whom had fled towards

588-481: The neighbouring states, or be established as an independent country. The latter was the preferred option of the Polisario Front , a Sahrawi organization which turned its guerrilla forces against both countries , having until then fought Spain. Its attacks against Mauritania proved highly effective. Polisario strikes against the iron mines at Zouerate and the Mauritania Railway (which carried most of

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616-631: The south. These regions are further subdivided into ten provinces. The regions of Guelmim-Oued Noun and Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra encompass parts of the Western Saharan territory as well as undisputed Moroccan territory to the north. Morocco has designated a separate satellite TV channel for audiences in the Southern Provinces, known as Laayoune TV . Following the 1975 Green March , the Moroccan state initiated settlement programs that encouraged numerous Moroccans to relocate to

644-401: The southern part of the territory. With Mauritania's withdrawal, Morocco moved quickly to annex the area previously held by Mauritania, effectively extending its occupation over part of the region known as Río de Oro. Since a United Nations -brokered ceasefire agreement in 1991, approximately two-thirds of the territory has been occupied by Morocco, encompassing most of the coastline. This area

672-484: The territory or its inhabitants before colonialism, and could not by themselves justify sovereignty today. Instead, it recommended a standard self-determination process where Sahrawis were given the choice of merger with Mauritania and/or Morocco, or independence. In later years, the Mauritanian government has maintained a policy of strict neutrality between Polisario and Morocco, while retaining its recognition of

700-549: The territory was based in the strong cultural and tribal ties between the Moorish inhabitants of Mauritania, and the tribes of Western Sahara . The government argued they were all part of the same people, and also put forth the notion of pre-colonial sovereignty by certain Mauritanian emirates (tribal fiefdoms) over some of these tribes. Before of the International Court of Justice , Mauritania claimed in 1975 that

728-417: The three wilayas of Boujdour , Smara , and Laayoune . In 1983, further changes occurred, resulting in the establishment of four wilayas, with the addition of Dakhla . In 1990, Wadi al-Dhahab ( Río de Oro ) was also incorporated. As of 2022, the Southern Provinces are organized into three regions: Guelmim-Oued Noun in the north, Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra in the center, and Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab in

756-686: The two-thirds of Western Sahara under its control as integral Moroccan territory. The government implements various economic and social development initiatives, incorporating these "Southern Provinces" into the national budget for government funding, national sports competitions, educational programs, and national parliamentary elections. The total population of Western Sahara is around 576,000. Coastal areas are utilized for fishing, and land areas are exploited for phosphate mining by both government and private entities. In terms of administration, Morocco divided its controlled territory into administrative units ( wilayas ). Flags and coats of arms were established for

784-678: Was orchestrated to compel Spain to transfer Western Sahara to Morocco. The Madrid Accords , ratified just 12 days after the Green March, stipulated that Spain would exit Western Sahara by February 28, 1976, at the latest. Subsequently, Morocco and Mauritania signed the Western Sahara partition agreement on April 14, 1976. This agreement led to Morocco assuming control over Saguia el-Hamra , while Mauritania took charge of Río de Oro , renaming it as Tiris al-Gharbiyya . A locally based Sahrawi national liberation movement , known as

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