The recovery of the province of Oued Eddahab in 1979 is a historic milestone in the process of achieving independence and territorial integrity of the Kingdom.
The commemoration, held on Sunday, of the 43rd anniversary of this event is an opportunity to highlight the mobilization of Moroccans and their constant vigilance around the first national cause, said a statement of the Office of the High Commissioner for Former Resistance and Liberation Army (HCAR).
On August 14, 1979, the Ulemas, the notables and the tribal chiefs of the province of Oued Eddahab went to the Royal Palace in Rabat to present to the late HM Hassan II their oath of allegiance and reaffirm their unwavering attachment to the Glorious Alawite Throne.
By this solemn and highly patriotic act, the inhabitants of Oued Eddahab meant that they would never sell out their Moroccan identity, affirming to the whole world that the Sahara has always been Moroccan and that it will remain so forever, despite the maneuvers of the adversaries.
This was a historic moment immortalized by the speech in which the late Sovereign said: “We have just received, on this blessed day, your oath of allegiance, which We will preserve and keep preciously, as a sacred deposit.”
“From now on, you must honor this oath. On Our part, We also make it Our duty to guarantee your defense and security and to work tirelessly for your welfare. So, My dear sons, welcome to your homeland.”
“Let us give thanks to the Almighty for having showered Us with His blessings by linking the South of Our country to its Northern homeland and by restoring the blood ties between its sons.”
During this ceremony, the late HM Hassan II had also proceeded to the distribution of weapons to the representatives of the tribes, a strong and symbolic gesture of the continuation of the struggle for the defense of the territorial integrity and the establishment of security in the recovered provinces.
Few months passed before the meeting between the architect of the glorious Green March and the sons of the province of Oued Eddahab was renewed on the occasion of the historic visit made by the late sovereign to Dakhla.
This visit has confirmed, once again, the perfect symbiosis between the glorious throne and the sons of the southern provinces. This unbreakable bond, which constitutes the cement of the nation’s cohesion, has defeated all the maneuvers hatched by the enemies of the territorial integrity of Morocco.
Since then, the Kingdom has worked for the economic and social promotion of its southern provinces, with a view to integrating them into the process of global and sustainable development.
The historic return of this cherished part of the Moroccan territory to the motherland was the result of a long struggle undertaken over several decades by Morocco to complete its independence and territorial integrity.
The celebration of this anniversary is an opportunity to remember the high significance of this event which embodies the unwavering attachment of the population of the province to the Sovereign and the Alawite Throne and their constant mobilization for the defense of the territorial integrity of the Kingdom, during the recovery of the city of Tarfaya on April 15, 1958, then Sidi Ifni on June 30, 1969 and other parts of the Moroccan Sahara through the epic of the Green March on November 6, 1975, notes the release.
Today, 43 years after the recovery of the province of Oued Eddahab, development efforts have continued in this expensive part of the Moroccan territory, in order to establish it as a real economic hub.
Since then, the province lives at the pace of a process of significant and sustained development, marked by the realization of important infrastructure and major projects, to establish a resilient regional economy, providing wealth and jobs.
The new development model of the southern provinces, launched by HM King Mohammed VI in Laayoune, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Green March, has also set the stage for the development process, aimed at strengthening the various aspects related to social, economic, cultural and environmental.
The commemoration of the recovery of the province of Oued Eddahab is an opportunity to strengthen the mobilization to preserve the unity of the Kingdom, to remember the national values and to move forward in the process of building and economic development in different areas.
This great event has profound meanings, as the HCAR is keen to pass on these teachings to the rising and future generations, with the aim of further reviving the national spirit and consolidating their attachment to the identity and rooted constants of the Nation.
