Polisario Front

Polisario Front
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Name	Polisario Front
Native name	الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير الساقية الحمراء ووادي الذهب
Leader	Brahim Ghali
Foundation	10 May 1973
Headquarters	Tindouf Camps, Algeria
Ideology	Sahrawi nationalism, Social democracy
International	Socialist International

Polisario Front. The Polisario Front is a Sahrawi nationalist liberation movement seeking the independence of Western Sahara. Founded in 1973 to oppose Spanish colonial rule, it subsequently fought a prolonged war against Morocco and Mauritania following the Madrid Accords and the Green March. The organization governs the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which it proclaimed in 1976, and administers a portion of Western Sahara as well as refugee camps near Tindouf in Algeria.

History

The movement was formally established on May 10, 1973, by El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed and other Sahrawi students, launching its first armed attack against Spanish forces at the Battle of El-Khanga. Its goal was to end the colonial administration of Spanish Sahara. Following the Madrid Accords of 1975, which transferred administrative control to Morocco and Mauritania, the Polisario Front declared war on both nations. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic was proclaimed on February 27, 1976, with the first government formed in Bir Lehlou. After Mauritania withdrew from the conflict following the 1978 Mauritanian coup d'état and the Algiers Agreement, the war continued solely against Morocco, which had constructed the Berm defensive walls. A United Nations-brokered ceasefire in 1991, monitored by MINURSO, halted major hostilities with the promise of a referendum on self-determination that has never been held.

Organization and structure

The supreme political body of the Polisario Front is its General Popular Congress, which elects the National Secretariat and the Secretary-General, a position held since 2016 by Brahim Ghali. The movement's structure integrates the government of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, with a Prime Minister overseeing ministerial departments. The Sahrawi National Council functions as a legislative parliament-in-exile. Key political and humanitarian operations are managed from the refugee camps in southwestern Algeria, which house a significant portion of the Sahrawi population. The Polisario Front is a consultative member of the Socialist International.

Military activities

The armed wing, the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army, engaged in a protracted guerrilla war against Moroccan and Mauritanian forces from 1975 to 1991. Notable engagements included the Battle of Amgala, the Battle of Guelta Zemmur, and raids deep into southern Morocco. The conflict featured extensive use of Land Rovers and mobile desert tactics. Following the 1991 ceasefire, the army maintained defensive positions along the Berm east of the wall. Military hostilities resumed in a limited form in November 2020 after the Guerguerat crisis, breaking the decades-long truce and leading to periodic clashes along the defensive line.

International relations and diplomacy

The Polisario Front's primary diplomatic patron and host is Algeria, which provides political, material, and military support. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is recognized by numerous states, including several members of the African Union, where it holds full membership. Key historical supporters included Libya under Muammar Gaddafi and several former Eastern Bloc nations. The movement maintains representative offices, often under the SADR's name, in various capitals. Its cause is advocated within international forums like the United Nations General Assembly and the African Union by allies such as South Africa and Nigeria. The European Union and the United States have engaged primarily through MINURSO and support for a political solution, while France is a staunch ally of Morocco.

Legal status and recognition

The legal status of the Polisario Front and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic remains contested. The SADR is recognized by approximately 45 United Nations member states and is a full member of the African Union. However, major powers like the United States, France, and the United Kingdom do not recognize it, and the United Nations considers Western Sahara a non-self-governing territory. The European Court of Justice has issued several rulings, such as those regarding the EU-Morocco agreements, affirming that the territory is separate from Morocco and that the Polisario Front has legal standing to challenge agreements affecting it. The International Court of Justice's 1975 advisory opinion found no ties of territorial sovereignty between Western Sahara and Morocco or Mauritania, a finding central to the Polisario's legal claims.

Category:Political parties in Western Sahara Category:National liberation movements Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by Morocco