Guelta Zemmur
Encyclopedia
Guelta Zemmur is a small town or village in the Moroccan
-administered territory of Western Sahara
.
The town is based around a guelta
or oasis, retaining rain water for long periods. It was a camp site for the Sahrawi nomads of the area for hundreds of years.
It functioned as one of the most important military strongholds for the indigenous
Polisario Front
guerrilla
after the retreat of Spain
from what was then Spanish Sahara
. As Morocco
and Mauritania
asserted control over the former Spanish colony
from the north and south according to the Madrid Accords
, Guelta Zemmur acted as a stopping-point for refugee
s en route to the Sahrawi refugee camp
s in Tindouf
, Algeria
.
It was also noted for the Guelta Zemmur conference on November 28, 1975, on the heels of the Ain Ben Tili
conference. A gathering of the formerly Spanish-backed Djema'a
was held in the town (then under Polisario control), where it agreed to support Polisario and dissolve itself to leave room for a future Western Sahara government. The Polisario argues that this is the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
, an exile government operative in Tindouf, which was declared in February the following year.
During the 1975-91 war between Polisario and Morocco, there were several battles over control of Guelta Zemmur, the heaviest taking place on March 24-27 and October 13, 1981. Presently, the town is controlled by Morocco as part of what it claims as its Southern Provinces
, but its final status is yet to be determined. It now holds a Moroccan military base with a satellite
communications center, and the areas around the town (which is close to the Moroccan Berm) are heavily mined.
The town is the birthplace of Mohammed Daddach
, who was Morocco's longest serving political prisoner.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
-administered territory of Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
.
The town is based around a guelta
Guelta
A guelta is a peculiar type of wetland, typical of desert regions. They are formed when underground water in lowland depressions spills to the surface and creates permanent pools and reservoirs....
or oasis, retaining rain water for long periods. It was a camp site for the Sahrawi nomads of the area for hundreds of years.
It functioned as one of the most important military strongholds for the indigenous
Indigenous peoples of Africa
The indigenous people of Africa are those people of Africa whose way of life, attachment or claims to particular lands, and social and political standing in relation to other more dominant groups have resulted in their substantial marginalisation within modern African states The indigenous people...
Polisario Front
Polisario Front
The POLISARIO, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro is a Sahrawi rebel national liberation movement working for the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco...
guerrilla
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
after the retreat of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
from what was then Spanish Sahara
Spanish Sahara
Spanish Sahara was the name used for the modern territory of Western Sahara when it was ruled as a territory by Spain between 1884 and 1975...
. As Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
asserted control over the former Spanish colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
from the north and south according to the Madrid Accords
Madrid Accords
The Madrid Accords, also called Madrid Agreement or Madrid Pact, was a treaty between Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania to end the Spanish presence in the territory of Spanish Sahara, which was until the Madrid Accords' inception a Spanish province and former colony. It was signed in Madrid on...
, Guelta Zemmur acted as a stopping-point for refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s en route to the Sahrawi refugee camp
Refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
s in Tindouf
Tindouf
Tindouf is the main town in Tindouf Province, Algeria, close to the Mauritanian and Moroccan borders. The region is considered of strategic significance, and it houses Algerian military bases. Since 1975, it also contains several Sahrawi refugee camps operated by the Polisario Front a guerrilla...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
.
It was also noted for the Guelta Zemmur conference on November 28, 1975, on the heels of the Ain Ben Tili
Ain Ben Tili
Ain Ben Tili is a small town in northeast Mauritania, on the border with Western Sahara, in the Sahara desert.On October 12, 1975, the Polisario Front gathered a large number of Sahrawi tribal elders in a conference in Ain Ben Tili to rally the tribes against impending Moroccan and Mauritanian...
conference. A gathering of the formerly Spanish-backed Djema'a
Djema'a
The term Djema'a can refer to two things in a Western Sahara context.-Djema'a: Tribal Leadership:The Djema'a was the leading body in a Sahrawi tribe, composed of elders and elected leaders...
was held in the town (then under Polisario control), where it agreed to support Polisario and dissolve itself to leave room for a future Western Sahara government. The Polisario argues that this is the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is a partially recognised state that claims sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony. SADR was proclaimed by the Polisario Front on February 27, 1976, in Bir Lehlu, Western Sahara. The SADR government controls about...
, an exile government operative in Tindouf, which was declared in February the following year.
During the 1975-91 war between Polisario and Morocco, there were several battles over control of Guelta Zemmur, the heaviest taking place on March 24-27 and October 13, 1981. Presently, the town is controlled by Morocco as part of what it claims as its Southern Provinces
Southern Provinces
The Southern Provinces or Moroccan Sahara are the terms used by Morocco for Western Sahara, in reference to the part of Western Sahara that lies to the west of the Moroccan Berm...
, but its final status is yet to be determined. It now holds a Moroccan military base with a satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
communications center, and the areas around the town (which is close to the Moroccan Berm) are heavily mined.
The town is the birthplace of Mohammed Daddach
Mohammed Daddach
Sidi Mohammed Daddach is a Sahrawi human rights defender & political activist, and former political prisoner for 24 years, being the second longest-condemn of a political prisoner in Africa, after Nelson Mandela...
, who was Morocco's longest serving political prisoner.