CONTENTS

Recommendation ................................................................................. 5

Editor’s Preface .................................................................................... 7

Geographical Features – Flora and Fauna ............................................ 9

Economy ............................................................................................ 17

Society ................................................................................................ 27

The History of the Region Before the Arrival of the Europeans ....... 37

Colonisation of the Area ................................................................. .. 45

Spanish Sahara ................................................................................... 57

The Beginning of the Struggle for Independence .............................. 65

The Early Activities of the UN in the Resolution of the Problem ..... 73

The Decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)

in The Hague ................................................................................. 83

The Green March and Subsequent Events ......................................... 89

The Occupation of the Sahara Territories and the Beginning of

Hostilities ....................................................................................... 97

After the Declaration of Independence – The Escalation of the

Conflict ........................................................................................ 103

Peace Treaty between Mauritania and the Polisario ......................... 111

Events after the Occupation of the Area by Morocco ..................... 119

The UN Re-enters the Negotiations on the Settlement

of the Future of the Region               131