Second Battle of Amgala

The Second Battle of Amgala, also called Amgala II or Amgala 2, took place on 14 February 1976 in the Amgala Oasis in Western Sahara. It pitted the Moroccan troops, who lost Amgala, to the forces of the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Polisario Front, supported by the Algerian army.^[3] According to Maurice Barbier, the Moroccan garrison in the city was entirely decimated.^[2]

Second Battle of Amgala
Part of the Western Sahara War
Date 14–15 February 1976 Location Amgala, Western Sahara 26°26′48″N 11°30′53″W / 26.44667°N 11.51472°W / 26.44667; -11.51472Coordinates: 26°26′48″N 11°30′53″W / 26.44667°N 11.51472°W / 26.44667; -11.51472 Result Algerian and Polisario Front victory^[1]
Belligerents
Algeria Polisario Front	Morocco
Commanders and leaders
Houari Boumédiène El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed Brahim Ghali	King Hassan II
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Dozens killed^[2]
class=notpageimage| Location within Western Sahara

Background

This battle followed the first battle of Amgala, which pitted the Moroccan army against the Algerian army for the first time from 27 to 29 January 1976.

Battle

According to Maurice Barbier and Ahmed Baba Miské, the fighting took place during the night of February 14 to 15, 1976, with strong units attacking the Moroccan troops in the city after its recovery. Shortly after the start of the attack, Moroccan reinforcements left the town of Smara but were unable to counter-attack.^[4]

According to the writer Ahmed Baba Miské, the Moroccan garrison was totally destroyed.^[5]

Controversy over the presence of Algerian troops

According to the statements of King Hassan II, Algerian troops participated directly in the second battle of Amgala.^[6] But at the time, “P.M.D.", a Journalist at Le Monde, and the French political scientist Maurice Barbier considers "plausible" the Algerian version of an attack carried out only by the Polisario without the participation of Algerian soldiers.^[7][2] However, sources within the Algerian army claim that Algerian soldiers donned Polisario military uniforms and captured the town alone.^[8][9][10]

The two battles of Amgala raised fears of a confrontation between Morocco and Algeria, a prospect that gradually faded in April 1976.^[11]

References

1. Agency, United States Defense Intelligence (1979). Struggle and Stalemate in the Western Sahara. Defense Intelligence Agency. p. 35.
2. Barbier, Maurice (1982). Le conflit du Sahara occidental. Harmattan. p. 189. ISBN 978-2-85802-197-0. Cette nouvelle tactique fut illustrée par la reprise d'Amgala dans la nuit du 14 au 15 février. L'opération fut menée par le seul Polisario sans participation de soldats algériens et elle anéantit la garnison marocain laissée à Amgala, faisant des dizaines de victimes. [This new tactic was illustrated by the revival of Amgala on the night of 14-15 February. The operation was carried out by the Polisario alone without the participation of Algerian soldiers and it destroyed the Moroccan garrison left in Amgala, causing dozens of casualties.]
3. Mikaberidze, Alexander (2011). Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-59884-336-1.
4. La polémique continue entre Alger et Rabat sur la seconde bataille d'Amgala – Lemonde.fr
5. Miské, Ahmed Bâba (1978). Front Polisario: l'âme d'un peuple : suivi d'un entretien avec Jean Lacouture (in French). Éditions Rupture. p. 274. ISBN 978-2-86220-004-0.
6. "Hassan II adresse une mise en demeure à M. Boumediène". Le Monde.fr (in French). 1976-02-17. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
7. Qui a repris Amgala? – Lemonde.fr
8. Top secret: Amgala mon amour – Afrique-Asie.fr
9. Berrah, Ghoulem (2018-10-10). Un rêve pour la paix (in French). L'Archipel. ISBN 978-2-8098-2542-8.
10. Mohsen-Finan, Khadija (1997-01-01). Sahara occidental : les enjeux d'un conflit régional (in French). CNRS Éditions (réédition numérique FeniXX). ISBN 978-2-271-10840-1.
11. "La tension entre Alger et Rabat est progressivement retombée". Le Monde.fr (in French). 1976-04-10. Retrieved 2020-08-28.