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Rabat — The Moroccan people today commemorate the 50th anniversary of a pivotal moment in their nation’s history — when the Late King Hassan II announced his plan to organize the Green March – a peaceful demonstration aimed at reclaiming Western Sahara.
On October 16, 1975, King Hassan II addressed the nation by radio, declaring his intention to lead what would become an unprecedented international event.
The late king’s announcement came on the same day the International Court of Justice in The Hague issued its advisory opinion on Western Sahara, which recognized legal ties between Moroccan sultans and the territory.
“We have to do one thing, dear people, and that is to undertake a peaceful march from the north, the east, the west to the south. It behooves us to act as one man in order to join the Sahara,” King Hassan II told Moroccan people in that historic speech.
The king stressed that the recognition proved historical bonds between the territory and the kingdom and that the Sahara had opened its doors to Morocco legally. He argued that colonialism had fostered these connections, allowing Morocco to restore them peacefully.
Just weeks before launching the march, Morocco discreetly positioned troops along Western Sahara’s northwest region on October 31 to discourage potential external involvement from other African nations.
A peaceful revolution
The Green March launched on November 6, 1975, and brought together 350,000 Moroccan loyal volunteers who marched southward carrying Qurans and Moroccan flags. The demonstration embodied Morocco’s commitment to peaceful resolution and its people’s attachment to what they consider their national territory.
King Hassan II’s decision to organize a peaceful march rather than a military campaign reflected his determination to spare his country and the region from destructive war. The march marked a turning point in Morocco’s struggle to complete what it views as its territorial integrity.
Transformation of the southern provinces
Following the Green March, Morocco launched extensive development projects in the region. During Spanish colonial rule, Western Sahara had seen little economic or social development. The Moroccan government began investing in infrastructure, education, healthcare, urban planning, renewable energy, agriculture, tourism, and fishing industries.
A turning point for the transformation of Morocco’s southern provinces came in 2015 when King Mohammed VI launched the New Development Model in the region. This initiative brought billions of dollars in investment to socio-economic projects, including the Dakhla Atlantic Port — set to become Africa’s largest deep-water port — and a major medical school in Laayoune.
Today, residents of the Saharan provinces participate in Morocco’s democratic processes. In the September 2021 general elections, voter turnout in these regions exceeded 63% — the highest rate in the country.
International recognition
Morocco has achieved significant diplomatic victories in recent years. The US historically recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in December 2020.
Following years of political tensions for harboring Polisario separatist front’s leader Brahim Ghali, Spain acknowledged Morocco’s autonomy plan for the southern provinces.
Germany also shifted its position to support the plan.
Several countries have opened consulates in Laayoune and Dakhla, which Morocco considers official recognition of its territorial claims.
The International Court of Justice’s 1975 advisory opinion confirmed that Western Sahara was not uninhabited territory and that legal ties and allegiance bonds connected Moroccan sultans with the region — a finding Morocco cites as international legitimacy for its claims.
For Moroccans, the Green March represents more than a historical event. It symbolizes national unity and remains a source of pride, teaching future generations about what they view as their peaceful struggle to complete their country’s territorial integrity.
