Ifni 1934-1957 History of Northern Africa Morocco





Ifni 1957-1969



When Morocco became independent in 1956, Spain maintained that the territories of Ifni and Cabo Juby (or the Southern Protectorate) formed part of the Spanish Sahara and thus were not affected by Moroccan independence.
From June 1957 until April 1958, Spain fought the Ifni War - against rebels (ELN - Moroccan Liberation Army) which demanded the annexation of Ifni and Cabo Juby into Morocco; Morocco herself demanded the cession of these territories, but claimed not to be actively involved in the struggle. In April 1958 Spain ceded Cabo Juby and accepted Moroccan control of the outlying parts of the Ifni enclave, but held on to the city of Ifni and her immediate environs. In January 1958, Ifni and the Western Sahara were proclaimed Spanish overseas provinces under military rule.
While Spain emphasized the importance of Ifni as a bastion of the west in the struggle against communism (Morocco's Communist Party had also demanded Spain to cede Ifni), the UN in the 1960es criticized Spain for not having granted Ifni autonomy / independence. Spain and Morocco began diplomatic negotiations in 1963; Spain ceded Ifni to Morocco on June 30th 1969.
While a Spanish possession, Ifni gained notoriety for her postage stamp issues, mostly depicting fauna.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Article Ifni, from Wikipedia, English edition
Article Sidi Ifni, from Encyclopedia of the Orient
Article Ifni, from Wikipedia Spanish Edition
Ifni, from Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker, in German; has map
Articles Ifni War, from Wikipedia
Ifni, La Guerra Secreta, from El Mundo, in Spanish
Invasion of Ifni by Moroccan Irregulars 1957, from ACED
Carmen Sevilla, en la Guerra de Ifni, from Memoria de Andalucia, in Spanish
1956-1976 Spanish Sahara. War in a Land of Sand and Stones, from Balagan
DOCUMENTS Flag of Ifni-Sahara Maritime Province 1946-1975, from FOTW
Governors of Ifni, from World Statesmen
Historical Urban Population Statistics : Morocco, from Population Statistics posted by Jan Lahmeyer; scroll down for Ifni
License Plate, from World License Plates
New York Times, Archive 1851-1980 : Ifni 1957-1969
The Door to the Sahara, Time Dec. 9 1957
Ifni & After, Time Dec. 16 1957
Spain : Ifni-Sahara Medal, from ODM
Ifni War 1958, from Military Photos.Net
REFERENCE



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on April 2nd 2007

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