In today's society, geopolitical games are still an important factor affecting regional stability, and if not handled well, the region will fall into turmoil and conflict will intensify. For example, the Korean Peninsula issue in Northeast Asia, the Iranian nuclear issue in the Middle East, and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in Europe. Today we want to understand the most important geopolitical game in North Africa - the question of Western Sahara, to analyze why Morocco has occupied Western Sahara for a long time?
Location of Western Sahara
Western Sahara is located at the westernmost tip of the Sahara Desert, facing the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Morocco and Algeria to the north, and neighboring Mauritania to the south and southeast. The coastline is about 900 kilometers long, most of the territory is desert, the western coast is low, the eastern part is a plateau about 300 meters above sea level, the surface is undulating, and there are isolated hills. Western Sahara has a dry climate, minimal precipitation, sparse vegetation, and mostly barren land. Western Sahara has a population of about 600,000, mainly Arabs and Berbers, and follows Islam like other North African countries. Western Sahara was an independent State, but Morocco claimed sovereignty over it.
Historical background of the question of Western Sahara
The Central Moroccan Dynasty has controlled the land many times in history, but in the past two to three hundred years, several neighboring regimes have ruled the land or themselves. Beginning in the 19th century, the Spanish invaded Western Sahara, which became a Spanish protectorate in 1886 and the Sahara Province of Spanish Africa in 1958. After World War II, with the development of national independence movements, most of Africa became independent, and Spanish-controlled Western Sahara also set off a wave of independence.
In May 1973, with the support of Algeria, the Frente Popular para la Liberación de Saguia el-Hamra de Río de Oro was established and decided to fight for the independence of Western Sahara through armed struggle. In November 1975, Morocco organized the Green March, in which 350,000 Moroccan volunteers marched into Western Sahara. On 14 November, Spain signed the Madrid Agreement with Morocco and Mauritania, and Spain agreed to withdraw from Western Sahara on 26 February 1976. As a result of Spain's rapid withdrawal, Morocco and Mauritania began to divide up Western Sahara. The Popular Liberation Front claimed to represent all of Western Sahara, so they proclaimed the establishment of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic. Since then, the three parties have embarked on a years-long armed conflict, which resulted in Mauritania's first defeat and its renunciation of its territorial claims to Western Sahara and its withdrawal from the war. Morocco, on the other hand, took advantage of the opportunity to occupy 80% of Western Sahara. The Popular Liberation Front (FPLN) continued its struggle in a narrow strip of desert along the border with Mauritania and Algeria.
Economic considerations in Morocco:
Why did Morocco have to get the barren Western Sahara? Is it really just for territorial expansion? In fact, Western Sahara is rich in natural resources, according to the US Geological Survey, global phosphate ore reserves in 2020 were about 71 billion tons, of which Morocco and Western Sahara have the highest reserves, accounting for about 70%. At the same time, the possibilities for oil and gas extraction in Western Sahara are high. In addition to this, Western Sahara has more than 720 miles of coastline and is rich in fisheries. Morocco is the world's largest exporter of phosphate (phosphate ore), which is one of the largest pillars of the country's economy. Morocco's monopoly on phosphate ore gives it a significant share of the global phosphate trade market, thus dominating global phosphate ore pricing power.
Geo-gaming and security considerations
Since the major countries in the region were involved in the question of Western Sahara, Western Sahara was the most volatile region in North Africa, and Morocco and Mauritania were seriously divided on the issue on the one hand, along the other hand, Algeria and Libya. In particular, Morocco and Algeria have always been bitter rivals, during the Cold War Morocco completely turned to the West, Algeria was an important partner of the Soviet Union in the region, and even now the two countries still have territorial disputes. Algiers severed diplomatic relations with Morocco in August 2021. If Western Sahara were to be completely controlled by the Algerian-backed Popular Liberation Front, Morocco would face threats from both the east and the south, and there would be no strategic space, and in the event of war, Morocco would have to jump into the Atlantic and Mediterranean Seas.
Due to the geopolitical interests of world powers, especially the United States, Morocco has become an important strategic fulcrum of the West in North Africa, so the issue of Western Sahara has been difficult to advance, and the support of Western powers led by the United States for Morocco is an important factor that cannot be ignored. In 2020, King Mohammed VI of Morocco communicated directly with US President Donald Trump, after which Trump agreed to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. In June 2022, in response to the resumption of diplomatic relations between Israel and Morocco, Israel declared its support for Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara. These actions have further increased Morocco's support for full control over Western Sahara. The question of Western Sahara would become more complex.