Английская Википедия:Attack on Tichla (1979)
Шаблон:Orphan Шаблон:Infobox military conflict The Attack on Tichla took place on July 12, 1979, in the town of Tichla, in Western Sahara. It marks the final conflict between Mauritania and Polisario before the peace treaty in Algiers and Mauritania's withdrawal from the conflict.
Background
On July 10, 1978, facing a severe economic crisis due to the cost of the war, the regime of Moktar Ould Daddah was overthrown by Colonel Moustapha Ould Mohamed Saleck and his National Recovery Military Committee (CMRN), later renamed the National Salvation Military Committee (CMSN).[1] Immediately after this coup d'état, the Polisario declared a unilateral ceasefire, assuming that Mauritania intended to peacefully withdraw from the conflict[2] However, mindful of maintaining his country's alliance with Morocco, negotiations between Mauritania and the Polisario stall. Meanwhile, Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Ahmed Louly overthrows Moustapha Ould Mohamed Saleck[3] The attack occurs on the eve of the Organization of African Unity conference in Monrovia, where a resolution regarding the Western Sahara war is expected to emerge.[4]
Battle
On July 12, 1979, the Polisario breaks the ceasefire and captures the town of Tichla, causing heavy casualties among the Mauritanian garrison.[5]
Aftermath
Following this attack, Mauritania threatens to seek assistance from France and Morocco in the face of potential further attacks. Meanwhile, the Polisario declares that any Mauritanian retaliation would prompt them to launch new attacks, extending beyond Tichla into undisputed Mauritanian territory[6] Panicked by the prospect of continuing the war, Mauritania, nonetheless, signs a positive vote on the referendum requested by the Polisario and endorsed by the heads of state of the Organization of African Unity[7][4] On July 29, 1979, the Prime Minister of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), Mohamed Lamine Ould Ahmed, announces the release of the 73 Mauritanian soldiers captured during the attack. This response comes following a request made on behalf of the ad hoc committee of the Organization of African Unity on Western Sahara by the heads of state of Mali and Nigeria. The release follows that of the Mauritanian prefect of Tichla, Abdoullahi Ould Mokhtar Ould Kabd, who was also captured during the attack.[8]
Following the announcement of the release of the Mauritanian soldiers, Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla, the Mauritanian Prime Minister, declares that his country has chosen to definitively withdraw from this "fratricidal and unjust war," emphasizing that Mauritania has no territorial claims over Western Sahara[7] On August 5, 1979, Mauritanian President Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Ahmed Louly signs a peace treaty in Algiers, officially confirming the withdrawal of Mauritanian troops from the Río de Oro region, which is immediately annexed by the Moroccan army.[9]
References
