Tindouf Province
Encyclopedia
Tindouf, also written Tinduf, is the westernmost province of Algeria
, having a population of 58,193 as of the 2008 census. Despite the barren landscape, Tindouf is a resource-rich province, with important quantities of iron ore located in the Gara Djebilet area close to the border with Mali
. Prior to Algerian independence, the area served as a strongpoint of several tribe
s of the nomad
ic Reguibat
confederation.
(district
), Tindouf, which is coextensive with the province. The province and daïra has a population of 58,193 inhabitants. The daira is further divided into two communes
or municipalities: Tindouf
and Oum El Assel
. It is the only province in the country which has only one daïra and it also has the fewest communes.
, and is strategically important due to its proximity to the Moroccan
border, and its location at a four-country border crossing. Together with Béchar
, it was the scene of a brief Moroccan-Algerian border war
in 1963, after Morocco claimed
the area as its own following Algerian independence. (See below.)
From 1974, refugees from the contested Spanish Sahara
started arriving to the Tindouf area, following an earlier wave from the 1958 unrest
. This turned into a major exodus from 1975 onwards, when Morocco
and Mauritania
seized control of what was then called Western Sahara
, and Algeria retaliated by allowing the Polisario Front
, a nationalist Sahrawi movement, to use the area as its main base. The Polisario remains in the province, running the large refugee camps located south of Tindouf city
.
, and promises made by parts of the Algerian underground during that country's war for independence. After Algeria's independence in 1962, Morocco's claim to Tindouf was not accepted by the new Algerian republic. This led to the 1963 Sand war
, fought along the Moroccan-Algerian border in the Tindouf region.
In a process begun in 1969 and finalized during the OAU summit in Rabat
in 1972, Morocco recognized the border with Algeria, in exchange for joint exploitation of the iron ore in Tindouf. However, parts of Moroccan society and some nationalist political parties still refer to the Tindouf area as historically Moroccan territory, and the Moroccan parliament has still not ratified the border recognitio.
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...
, having a population of 58,193 as of the 2008 census. Despite the barren landscape, Tindouf is a resource-rich province, with important quantities of iron ore located in the Gara Djebilet area close to the border with Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
. Prior to Algerian independence, the area served as a strongpoint of several tribe
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
s of the nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
ic Reguibat
Reguibat
The Reguibat is a Sahrawi tribe of mainly Hassani Arab origins, although a number of Arab tribes have merged with the Reguibat during the last two centuries. They speak Hassaniya Arabic, and are Arabicised in culture...
confederation.
Administrative divisions
The province contains one daïraDaïra
A daïra |circle]]; plural dawaïr) is an administrative division of a wilaya in Algeria and in Western Sahara. Another transliteration of the word is Daerah.*Daïra of Algeria*Daïra of Western Sahara-See also:* Provinces of Algeria...
(district
Districts of Algeria
The provinces of Algeria are divided into 553 districts . The capital of a district is called a district seat...
), Tindouf, which is coextensive with the province. The province and daïra has a population of 58,193 inhabitants. The daira is further divided into two communes
Communes of Algeria
This is a list of all communes in the North African country of Algeria. Currently, there are 1,541 communes in the country. The population data is from June 25, 1998.-See also:* List of cities in Algeria* List of postal codes of Algerian cities...
or municipalities: 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...
and Oum El Assel
Oum El Assel
Oum El Assel is a municipality in the district and province of Tindouf, Algeria. It has 1,794 inhabitants as of the 1998 census and is the least populated, largest, and least densely populated one of the two municipalities which form the province .-Economy:One of its villages, Hassi Mounir, is one...
. It is the only province in the country which has only one daïra and it also has the fewest communes.
Sahrawi refugee camps
Strategic significance
The province houses army and airforce bases for the Algerian militaryMilitary of Algeria
The People’s National Army is the armed forces of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria. Algeria has a large and reasonably well-equipped military to counter foreign and domestic threats...
, and is strategically important due to its proximity to the Moroccan
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...
border, and its location at a four-country border crossing. Together with Béchar
Béchar
Béchar , formerly known as Colomb-Béchar, is a capital city of Béchar Province, Algeria. The area is controlled by Algeria, though claims have also been made on it by Morocco. In 1998 the city had a population of 134,954....
, it was the scene of a brief Moroccan-Algerian border war
Sand War
The Sand War or Sands War occurred along the Algerian-Moroccan border in October 1963, and was a Moroccan attempt to claim the Tindouf and the Béchar areas that France had annexed to French Algeria a few decades earlier.- Background :...
in 1963, after Morocco claimed
Greater Morocco
Greater Morocco is a label historically used by some Moroccan anti-colonial political leaders protesting against Spanish and French rule, to refer to wider territories historically associated with the Moroccan Sultan...
the area as its own following Algerian independence. (See below.)
From 1974, refugees from the contested 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...
started arriving to the Tindouf area, following an earlier wave from the 1958 unrest
Ifni War
The Ifni War, sometimes called the Forgotten War in Spain , was a series of armed incursions into Spanish West Africa by Moroccan insurgents and Sahrawi rebels that began in October 1957 and culminated with the abortive siege of Sidi Ifni.The war, which may be seen as part of the general movement...
. This turned into a major exodus from 1975 onwards, when 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...
seized control of what was then called 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...
, and Algeria retaliated by allowing the 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...
, a nationalist Sahrawi movement, to use the area as its main base. The Polisario remains in the province, running the large refugee camps located south of Tindouf city
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...
.
History
The town of Tindouf was built near an isolated Saharan oasis in 1852 by members of the Tajakant tribe, but sacked and destroyed by Reguibat tribe in 1895. It remained deserted until French troops led by colonel Trinquet arrived in the area in 1934 and attached the region to the French Algeria territory.Moroccan territorial claims
From independence in 1956, the Kingdom of Morocco claimed the Tindouf area and western Algeria as part of Morocco. These claims are based on the allegations that until 1952, Tindouf was part of French Morocco and was administratively attached to AgadirAgadir
Agadir is a major city in southwest Morocco, capital of the Agadir province and the Sous-Massa-Draa economic region .-Etymology:...
, and promises made by parts of the Algerian underground during that country's war for independence. After Algeria's independence in 1962, Morocco's claim to Tindouf was not accepted by the new Algerian republic. This led to the 1963 Sand war
Sand War
The Sand War or Sands War occurred along the Algerian-Moroccan border in October 1963, and was a Moroccan attempt to claim the Tindouf and the Béchar areas that France had annexed to French Algeria a few decades earlier.- Background :...
, fought along the Moroccan-Algerian border in the Tindouf region.
In a process begun in 1969 and finalized during the OAU summit in Rabat
Rabat
Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
in 1972, Morocco recognized the border with Algeria, in exchange for joint exploitation of the iron ore in Tindouf. However, parts of Moroccan society and some nationalist political parties still refer to the Tindouf area as historically Moroccan territory, and the Moroccan parliament has still not ratified the border recognitio.