The Conflict in Western Sahara
POL 342E: Nationalism and Ethnicity: Political Conflicts in Europe
Instructor: Dr. Tommaso Chiamparino
Final Paper: The Conflict in Western Sahara (Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and Spain)
Written by: Tahiri Joutei Idrissi Hassani Driss
July, 3rd SUMMER 2009
Western Sahara is a region located in the North West of Africa, occupying an area of around 260 000 km2. This land is subject to serious disputes between Morocco, Mauritania, Spain and Algeria since 1884. This complex problem, unsolved until now, has gone through many processes in order to establish peace and self determination in that territory. Before analyzing the major aspects of this conflict, it is important to introduce the parties involved as to know: Morocco, Mauritania, Spain and Algeria. First, Morocco is a country located in the North West of Africa, occupying a total area of 713 000 km2 and counting around thirty million people. Morocco is one of the oldest monarchies in the world, founded twelve centuries ago in the Cultural Capital «Fez» by «Moulay Driss the First» who is the descendant of the Prophet of Islam Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). The king Moulay Driss implemented Islam as the main religion of the country, the city of Fez as the capital and constituted the «Idrissides dynasty». Many dynasties have governed Morocco since then. Today, the «Alaouite Dynasty» has been governing Morocco for more than five centuries. Second, Mauritania is a country located in the south of Morocco, occupying an area of 1,030,700 km2, and counting a population of 3,364,940. The main religion of the country is Islam and the spoken language is the Hassania dialect of Arabic. Western Sahara is the land of dispute between Morocco and Mauritania since every country is substantiating its own claims on that territory. Third, Algeria, a country located in the east of
Instructor: Dr. Tommaso Chiamparino
Final Paper: The Conflict in Western Sahara (Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and Spain)
Written by: Tahiri Joutei Idrissi Hassani Driss
July, 3rd SUMMER 2009
Western Sahara is a region located in the North West of Africa, occupying an area of around 260 000 km2. This land is subject to serious disputes between Morocco, Mauritania, Spain and Algeria since 1884. This complex problem, unsolved until now, has gone through many processes in order to establish peace and self determination in that territory. Before analyzing the major aspects of this conflict, it is important to introduce the parties involved as to know: Morocco, Mauritania, Spain and Algeria. First, Morocco is a country located in the North West of Africa, occupying a total area of 713 000 km2 and counting around thirty million people. Morocco is one of the oldest monarchies in the world, founded twelve centuries ago in the Cultural Capital «Fez» by «Moulay Driss the First» who is the descendant of the Prophet of Islam Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). The king Moulay Driss implemented Islam as the main religion of the country, the city of Fez as the capital and constituted the «Idrissides dynasty». Many dynasties have governed Morocco since then. Today, the «Alaouite Dynasty» has been governing Morocco for more than five centuries. Second, Mauritania is a country located in the south of Morocco, occupying an area of 1,030,700 km2, and counting a population of 3,364,940. The main religion of the country is Islam and the spoken language is the Hassania dialect of Arabic. Western Sahara is the land of dispute between Morocco and Mauritania since every country is substantiating its own claims on that territory. Third, Algeria, a country located in the east of
References: - Human Rights Watch, 2008. Human Rights in Western Sahara and in the Tindouf Refugee Camps, annual report of 2008. Retrieved from: http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2008/12/19/human-rights-western-sahara-and-tindouf-refugee-camps-0 (July 1st, 2009) Benchemsi, A. (2009, May 8). Sahara: Le dépit Algérien. La gazette du Maroc, n 623, p 20. BBC News. (2009, May 12). Regions and territories: Western Sahara. BBC. Retrieved from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/3466917.stm (June 30, 2009). International Relations Center. (1998, December). Morocco and Western Sahara. Volume 3, Number 42. Retrieved on (June 30, 2009) from: http://www.fpif.org/briefs/vol3/v3n42mor.html - Afrique en Ligne. (2008, November 8). Moroccan Monarch profers solution to Western Sahara problem. Africa News. Retrieved on (June 29, 2009) from http://www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/moroccan-monarch-profers-solution-to-western-sahara-problem-2008110815509.html