Western Sahara War | |||||||||
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Part of The Western Sahara conflict | |||||||||
Map of the Western Sahara; the red line is the military berm built by Morocco |
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Morocco Mauritania (1975–1979) France (1977–78, Operation Lamantin, aid from 1978) |
Polisario Front / SADR Algeria (1976, Amgala battle, aid from 1976) |
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Hassan II (Supreme Commander and Chief-of-Staff) Ahmed Dlimi Abdelaziz Bennani Mohamed Abrouk Housni Benslimane Hammou Arzaz Mokhtar Ould Daddah Mustafa Ould Salek Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidallah Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya Mohamed Ould Bah Ould Abdelkader Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (Commander-in-Chief) Michel Claude Forget |
Mohamed Abdelaziz |
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Strength | |||||||||
Morocco: 30,000 (1976) – 60,000 (1980) – 150,000 (1988) – 120,000 (1991) Mauritania: 3,000-5,000 (1976) – 12,000 (1977) – 18,000 (1978) |
5,000 (1976) – 15,000 (1980) – 8,000 (1988) | ||||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||||
Morocco: unknown 2,155 – 2,300 captured Mauritania: 2,000 soldiers killed |
unknown | ||||||||
Civilian Casualties: More than 3,000 Sahrawis killed (Eckhardt,1985) 3 West German pilots killed 853+ (Project Disappeared) - 1,500 (International Federation of Human Rights) Sahrawis missing 40,000 (1976) – 80,000 (1977) Sahrawis displaced |
Mohamed Abdelaziz
(Chairman of the Revolutionary Council / Commander-in-Chief)
El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed †
(Chairman of the Revolutionary Council)
Brahim Gali
Lahbib Ayoub
Mohamed Lamine Uld Bujari
Mohamed Ali El Admi
Houari Boumediene