The Polisario Front is a Sahrawi political and armed movement that seeks independence for Western Sahara. It was created to fight the Spanish colonial rule over the territory, and it took its name from the Spanish initials for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro. When Spain withdrew in the mid-1970s, Morocco and Mauritania moved into the territory, and the Polisario declared the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and fought a guerrilla war, backed by Algeria, with its leadership and many refugees in camps near Tindouf. Mauritania withdrew, and a UN-brokered ceasefire with Morocco took effect in 1991, with a referendum promised that has never been held. Fighting resumed in 2020.
Before and after
- 26 March 1973Birth of Larry Page
- 6 April 1973Launch of Pioneer 11
- May 1973Construction of Willis Tower
- 8 May 1973Wounded Knee incident
- 10 May 1973Rise of Polisario Front
- 14 May 1973Launch of Skylab
- 29 May 1973Establishment of Manu National Park
- 21 June 1973Birth of Zuzana Čaputová
- July 1973Founding of Trilateral Commission
More in Society, economy & sport
- 22 March 1945Founding of Arab League
- 14 September 1960Founding of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
- 10 December 1987Rise of Hamas
- 1994Rise of Taliban
- 1 January 1995Founding of World Trade Organization
- 11 September 2001September 11 attacks
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.