Doha – “Tomorrow, God willing, we will cross the borders. Tomorrow, God willing, the Green March will start. Tomorrow, God willing, you will step on a part of your land, touch the sand of your own, and kiss the soil of your dear homeland.”

With these words, King Hassan II addressed Moroccans on the eve of a historic event that would shape the future of Morocco and its people.

The Green March, a mass demonstration organized by the late Moroccan monarch on November 6, 1975, aimed to reassert Morocco’s legitimate rights over the Western Sahara region, which had been under Spanish occupation since the late 19th century.

The march, which involved 350,000 unarmed Moroccans from all walks of life, is celebrated annually as a national holiday in Morocco, symbolizing the nation’s unwavering commitment to its territorial integrity.

The road to the march

Morocco’s ties to Western Sahara date back centuries, with the region historically falling under the sovereignty of the Moroccan sultanate. However, during the colonial era, Spain seized control of both the northern and southern parts of Morocco, including Western Sahara.

In 1958, shortly after gaining independence, Morocco reaffirmed its right to the southern provinces and called for an end to colonialism in the region. The North African kingdom raised the issue of its southern territories before the United Nations in 1964, prompting the General Assembly to urge Spain to grant independence to these areas.

Morocco’s struggle for the liberation of its southern provinces continued under the leadership of King Hassan II. In 1969, the kingdom recovered the city of Sidi Ifni on June 30, further strengthening its resolve to reclaim its rightful territories.

In 1975, King Hassan II sensed that the Spanish presence in Western Sahara was nearing its end. To bolster Morocco’s position in negotiations with Spain, the monarch conceived the idea of the Green March.

The announcement of the march coincided with the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s advisory opinion on Western Sahara, which acknowledged the existence of historical and legal ties between the Moroccan sultanate and the peoples of the region.

In light of this opinion, King Hassan II addressed the nation, emphasizing Morocco’s resolve to reclaim its rightful territories. In his speech, he declared, “The whole world has recognized that the Sahara was ours and that we had ties with it.”

“The world has also recognized that we had ties that were not broken voluntarily, but rather by colonialism. (…) My dear people, there remains only one thing: we must go to our land, the Sahara,” he added.

The King’s words resonated with the Moroccan people, who rallied behind their leader’s call to action. He further affirmed: “We have to carry out a green march from the north of Morocco to the south and from the east of Morocco to the west.”

From planning to execution

On November 5, 1975, King Hassan II addressed the volunteers gathered for the march, saying: “Tomorrow, God willing, we will cross the borders. Tomorrow, God willing, the Green March will start. Tomorrow, God willing, you will step on a part of your land, touch the sand of your own, and kiss the soil of your dear homeland.”

These words set in motion a meticulously planned operation that had been kept secret for months, known only to a select few military leaders and organizers.

The success of the Green March was not solely due to the fervor and determination of the 350,000 volunteers who embarked on the journey. Behind the scenes, a massive logistical effort ensured that the marchers were well-equipped and cared for throughout their trek to the Sahara.

The Moroccan state allocated significant resources to support the Green March and provide the volunteers with food, water, cooking utensils, hygiene products, fuel, and blankets, in addition to transportation.

In total, 12,000 trucks and 112 trains were mobilized to transport the volunteers from their regions to the city of Marrakech and then to Tarfaya. The organizers also prioritized the health of the participants, deploying 230 ambulances and 470 doctors.

Feeding the marchers was a top priority, with food supplies weighing 17,000 tons. Each participant was provided with three daily meals, and organizers ensured that each person had access to 10 liters of water, resulting in a total weight of 23,000 tons for water containers alone.

The volunteers were also equipped with 400,000 blankets, 20,000 tea kettles, coffee pots, trays, 10,000 can openers, knives, spoons, and napkins. Additionally, 15 tons of soap, 4,500 tons of packaged flour, 9 million boxes of milk, 2,500 tons of oil, 15,000 tons of canned sardines, 1,500 tons of canned tuna, 900 tons of dates, 500 tons of tobacco in cigarette boxes, and 17 million liters of fuel were mobilized.

The marchers were organized into tribes and provinces, each led by a chief who knew all the members. Each leader oversaw the territorial district of the volunteers under their authority, assisted by five sheikhs and meqaddems, who supervised 2,500 participants each, with a strict limit on exceeding that number. In total, 165 leaders and 592 sheikhs were mobilized for the organizational effort.

The volunteers were armed not with weapons, but with the Quran. A total of 500,000 copies were printed and distributed to the participants in this unique event, serving as their spiritual sustenance during the march.

The aftermath and diplomatic successes

The Green March succeeded in intensifying pressure on Spain through the fait accompli it imposed on November 6, 1975, after crossing the barbed wire that defined the limits of Spanish influence. Spain, caught off guard, was not prepared to confront Morocco.

On November 9, 1975, King Hassan II asked the participants to return home, paving the way for negotiations that culminated in the signing of the Madrid Agreement on November 14.

Under this agreement, Spain agreed to withdraw from the Sahara, enabling Morocco to recover its southern provinces. The kingdom later completed the liberation of its territories with the recovery of the Oued Eddahab region on August 14, 1979.

In his book “The Memory of a King,” King Hassan II recounted his unwavering determination during the Green March when responding to a question from French journalist Eric Laurent about what the monarch would have done if the march had failed.

“If the Green March had failed, I would have abdicated,” he stated. “It was a decision I had thought about for a long time, and it was impossible for me to leave victims on the scene who had no weapon other than the Quran in one hand and the Moroccan flag in the other. The world would have described my action as an adventure.”

Investing in the future

Since the recovery of its southern provinces, Morocco has undertaken massive development projects in the region, placing the well-being of citizens at the heart of its priorities. The kingdom has invested billions of dollars in socio-economic projects, including the Atlantic Port of Dakhla, the largest deep-water port on the African continent, and the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in Laayoune, one of the largest medical schools in the kingdom.

In 2015, King Mohammed VI launched the New Development Model for the Southern Provinces, a comprehensive initiative aimed at promoting sustainable development and improving the living conditions of the local population. The model focuses on key sectors such as education, health, infrastructure, renewable energy, and tourism, among others.

Diplomatic triumphs and international recognition

Under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, Morocco has achieved significant diplomatic victories in its efforts to secure international recognition of its sovereignty over Western Sahara.

On December 10, 2020, the United States announced its historic decision to recognize Morocco’s full sovereignty over Western Sahara, becoming the first country to establish a consulate in the city of Dakhla.

This move was followed by similar decisions from numerous African, Arab, and Latin American countries, with a total of 28 consulates now open in Laayoune and Dakhla.

In March 2022, Spain also expressed its support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the most serious, realistic, and credible basis for resolving the Western Sahara dispute. This marked a significant shift in Spain’s position and dealt a blow to the Polisario Front’s separatist claims.

Morocco’s diplomatic successes have been further bolstered by its strategic decision to return to the African Union in 2017 after a 33-year absence.

Since then, the kingdom has worked to neutralize hostile Algerian policies within the organization and rally support for its territorial integrity. This has led to a growing number of African countries adopting a positive stance towards Morocco’s position on the Western Sahara issue.

France’s recognition: The latest episode

In July, French President Emmanuel Macron formally recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara in a letter addressed to King Mohammed VI. This historic move marked a decisive shift in France’s long-standing position on the issue.

Macron’s state visit to Morocco from October 28-30 further solidified the strengthening ties between the two countries. During his speech before the Moroccan Parliament on October 29, Macron reiterated France’s unwavering support for Morocco’s position, emphasizing that the “present and future” of Western Sahara “are part of Moroccan sovereignty.”

Moreover, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that France would increase its consular presence in Western Sahara, transforming its embrace of Morocco’s Sahara stance from mere words to concrete action.

In an interview with Morocco World News (MWN), Jean-Noël Ferrié, a research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and a member of the Les Afriques dans le monde laboratory at Sciences Po Bordeaux, shared his insights on the implications of France’s recognition.

When asked how France’s recognition of the Moroccan Autonomy Plan could influence Morocco’s position on the Sahara issue, Ferrié stated: “The recognition by France that the Moroccan plan is the only solution for the Kingdom’s Saharan provinces undeniably strengthens Morocco’s position. It should encourage other support and help discourage its adversaries.”

Ferrié emphasized that the main effect of France’s recognition is to confirm that Morocco’s demanding strategy regarding this issue—with the King considering that the friendship of the country’s partners was measured by their support for the Moroccan position—was the right strategy. “This is, in my opinion, the real gain: Morocco has managed to assert its position and its diplomatic agenda,” he added.

Regarding Morocco’s efforts since the Green March in 1975 and their impact on the management of the Sahara issue, Ferrié stated: “Morocco has long since achieved its objective. The Saharan provinces are integrated into the Kingdom and benefit from a significant effort by the country for their development. Presenting the situation in the Sahara as an open conflict, which could lead to the creation of a state, goes against common sense and reality.”

Ferrié also pointed out that this fixation is artificially maintained by Algeria, which is struggling with Morocco’s dynamics, particularly on the African continent, as well as by the “independence” organization it supports, whose leadership benefits from “a rent-seeking position.”

He questioned whether any West African states would genuinely wish for the creation of a “Sahrawi state,” asserting: “The regional situation is unfortunately already complicated enough without further adding unproductive fantasies to the mix.”

When asked if France’s new position could bring the region closer to a definitive solution to the Western Sahara conflict, Ferrié emphasized the need for UN bodies dealing with this issue to understand that the solution lies in recognizing the Moroccan plan.

He criticized the UN’s Sahara envoy’s recent partition proposal as “simply absurd,” arguing that Morocco would never renounce its territorial integrity, especially given that it has been in a position of strength for the past three decades.