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 Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, who lost Amgala, against the forces of the Algerian army.[2] The Moroccan garrison in the city was entirely decimated.[1][3]

Second Battle of Amgala
Part of the Western Sahara War
Date14–15 February 1976
Location
Amgala, Western Sahara
26°26′48″N 11°30′53″W
Result Algerian victory
Belligerents
 Algeria
Western Sahara		  Morocco
Commanders and leaders
Pres. Houari Boumedienne
Ahmed Gaid Salah		 King Hassan II
Casualties and losses
Unknown Dozens of killed[1]
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

A commando of the Algerian armed forces, disguised as a soldier of the Polisario Front, allegedly attacked during the night the Moroccan troops left in the city after its capture during the first battle.[2] The Moroccan garrison was totally destroyed.[1]

Shortly after the start of the attack, Moroccan reinforcements left the town of Smara but were unable to counter-attack.[4]

Controversy over the presence of Algerian troops

According to the Moroccan writer Abdelhak El Merini and the statements of King Hassan II, Algerian troops participated directly in the second battle of Amgala.[4]

According to the French political scientist Maurice Barbier, the operation was carried out by the Polisario alone without the participation of Algerian soldiers. However, sources within the Algerian army claim that Algerian soldiers donned Polisario military uniforms and captured the town alone.[5]

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

References
  1. Maurice Barbier (1 January 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.
  2. Qui a repris Amgala? – Lemonde.fr
  3. Ahmed Bâba Miské (1978). Front Polisario: l'âme d'un peuple. Ruptures Editions. p. 274. ISBN 9782862200040. Ainsi, à Amgala, en février 1976, un bataillon des F.A.R. est anéanti. == Thus, in Amgala, in February 1976, a battalion of the F.A.R. was annihilated.
  4. La polémique continue entre Alger et Rabat sur la seconde bataille d'Amgala – Lemonde.fr
  5. Top secret: Amgala mon amour – Afrique-Asie.fr
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