Western Sahara War
Part of the Western Sahara conflict
Westernsaharamap.png
Map of the Western Sahara; the red line is the military berm built by Morocco
Date30 October 1975 – 6 September 1991
(15 years, 10 months and 1 week)
Location
Western Sahara
Result
  • Spanish withdrawal under the Madrid Accords (1976)
  • Mauritanian retreat and withdrawal of territorial claims and peace agreement with the Polisario Front (1979)
  • Military Stalemate
  • Ceasefire agreed on between the Polisario Front and Morocco (1991)
Territorial
changes
Morocco controls 75% of the territory, the Polisario Front controls 25%
Belligerents
 Morocco
 Mauritania(1975–1979)
 France(1977–78, Operation Lamantin, aid from 1978)
Supported by:
 Saudi Arabia
 United States
 Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
 Algeria(1976, Amgala Battle, aid from 1976)
Supported by:
 Libya(until 1984)
Commanders and leaders
MoroccoHassan II
(Supreme Commander and Chief-of-Staff)
MoroccoAhmed Dlimi
MoroccoAbdelaziz Bennani
MoroccoMohamed Abrouk
MoroccoHousni Benslimane
MoroccoHammou Arzaz
MauritaniaMokhtar Ould Daddah
MauritaniaMustafa Ould Salek
MauritaniaMohamed Khouna Ould Haidallah
MauritaniaMaaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya
MauritaniaMohamed Ould Bah Ould Abdelkader
FranceValéry Giscard d'Estaing
(President and Commander-in-Chief)
FranceMichel Claude Forget
Sahrawi Arab Democratic RepublicMohamed Abdelaziz
Sahrawi Arab Democratic RepublicEl-Ouali Mustapha Sayed 
Sahrawi Arab Democratic RepublicBrahim Ghali
Sahrawi Arab Democratic RepublicLahbib Ayoub
Sahrawi Arab Democratic RepublicMohamed Lamine Uld Bujari
Sahrawi Arab Democratic RepublicMohamed Ali El Admi
AlgeriaHouari Boumediene
AlgeriaLounes Arib
Strength
Morocco30,000(1976)
60,000(1980)
150,000(1988)
120,000(1991)
Mauritania3,000–5,000(1976)
12,000(1977)
18,000(1978)
5,000(1976)
15,000(1980)
8,000(1988)
Casualties and losses
MoroccoUnknown; 2,155–2,300 captured
Mauritania2,000 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