Tindouf Province

Tindouf, an aa written Tinduf, () is the wastmaist province o Algeria, haein a population o 58,193 as o the 2008 census. Maugre the barren landscape, Tindouf is a resoorce-rich province, wi important quantities o airn ore locatit in the Gara Djebilet aurie close tae the mairch wi Mali. Prior tae Algerian unthirldom, the aurie served as a strangpoint o several tribes o the nomadic Reguibat confederation.

Admeenistrative diveesions

The province contains ane daïra (destrict), Tindouf, whilk is coextensive wi the province. The province an daïra haes a population o 58,193 indwallers. The daira is further dividit intae twa communes or municipalities: Tindouf an Oum El Assel. It is the anerlie province in the kintra whilk haes anerlie ane daïra an it an aa haes the fewest communes.

Sahrawi refugee camps

 Strategic significance 
The province hooses airmy an airforce bases for the Algerian militar, an is strategically important due tae its proximity tae the Moroccan border, an its location at a fower-kintra mairch crossin. Thegither wi Béchar, it wis the scene o a brief Moroccan-Algerian border war in 1963, efter Morocco claimed the aurie as its awn follaein Algerian unthirldom. (See belaw.)

Frae 1974, refugees frae the contestit Spainyie Sahara stairtit arrivin tae the Tindouf aurie, follaein an earlier wave frae the 1958 unrest. This turned intae a major exodus frae 1975 onwards, whan Morocco an Mauritanie seized control o whit wis then cried Wastren Sahara, an Algerie retaliatit bi allouin the Polisario Front, a naitionalist Sahrawi movement, tae uise the aurie as its main base. The Polisario remains in the province, runnin the lairge refugee camps locatit sooth o Tindouf ceety.

History
The toun o Tindouf wis biggit near an isolatit Saharan oasis in 1852 bi members o the Tajakant tribe, but sacked an destroyed bi Reguibat tribe in 1895. It remained desertit till French troops led bi colonel Trinquet arrived in the aurie in 1934 an attached the region tae the French Algerie territory.

Moroccan territorial claims

Frae unthirldom in 1956, the Kinrick o Morocco claimed the Tindouf aurie an wastren Algerie as pairt o Morocco. Thir claims are basit on the allegations that till 1952, Tindouf wis pairt o French Morocco an wis admeenistratively attached tae Agadir, an promises makkit bi pairts o the Algerian unnergrund durin that kintra's war for unthirldom. Efter Algerie's unthirldom in 1962, Morocco's claim tae Tindouf wis nae acceptit bi the new Algerian republic. This led tae the 1963 Sand war, focht alang the Moroccan-Algerian mairch in the Tindouf region.

In a process begun in 1969 an feenalized durin the OAU summit in Rabat in 1972, Morocco recognised the mairch wi Algerie, in exchynge for jynt exploitation o the airn ore in Tindouf. Housomeivver, pairts o Moroccan society an some naitionalist poleetical pairties still refer tae the Tindouf aurie as historically Moroccan territory, an the Moroccan parliament haes still nae ratified the mairch recognition.

References


Category:Provinces o Algerie