Attack on Lebouirate
Part of Western Sahara War
Date24 August 1979
Location
Lebouirate, Morocco
Result Polisario Front victory[1][2]
Belligerents
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Polisario Front  Morocco
Commanders and leaders
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Lahbib Ayoub Morocco Mohamed Azelmat  Surrendered[3]
Strength
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic 150[4] Morocco 600-780[5]
Casualties and losses
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Sixty-six Sahrawi citizens were released

Morocco 92-230 killed[6][7]

  • 12 servicemen captured.
  • a hundred armored vehicles, fifty-seven military vehicles and numerous guns were seized.

The Attack on Lebouirate was a significant military engagement that took place during the ongoing Western Sahara conflict between the Moroccan government and the Polisario Front.

Attack

The Moroccan communiqué reported that the attack on Lebouirate was executed by Polisario guerrilla forces, who caught the garrison commander off guard. The commander abandoned his position, allowing the enemy to seize control of the attacked locality, which they held throughout August 24. The Moroccan troops suffered a serious defeat as a large number of defenders at the base were massacred during the attack.[8]

Two days after the incident, the Moroccan ministry of information officially admitted the fall of the Lebouirate base. Squadron Leader Azelmat, who commanded the garrison, was criticized for failing to offer adequate resistance to the attacking Polisario forces. The lack of opposition resulted in the abandonment of defensive positions and the loss of a significant amount of military equipment.[8]

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Hottinger, Arnold (1980). "La lutte pour le Sahara occidental". Politique étrangère. 45 (1): 167–180. doi:10.3406/polit.1980.2964. Le plus important fut la défaite marocaine de Lebouiraite...
  2. ↑ "UNE VISITE A L'ANCIENNE PLACE FORTE DE LEBOUIRATE CONFIRME L'AMPLEUR DE LA DÉFAITE MAROCAINE". Le Monde.fr (in French). 1979-09-19. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  3. ↑ (Affairs 1980, p. 51) "Squadron Leader Azelmat, commanding the garrison of Lebouirate"
  4. ↑ "BAnQ numérique". numerique.banq.qc.ca (in French). Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  5. ↑ Guy, Sitbon. "La vérité sur la guerre du désert" (PDF). L'Obs.
  6. ↑ "Sahara occidental : sanglants combats" (PDF). L'Express. Selon le Front Polisario, de lourdes pertes auraient été infligées aux Marocains : 92 morts...
  7. ↑ "Un combat très meurtrier s'est déroulé le 24 août dans le sud du territoire internationalement reconnu du Maroc Rabat admet que la garnison de Lebouirate a été investie". Le Monde.fr (in French). 1979-08-28. Retrieved 2023-07-17. sahraoui avait d'abord fait état, à Alger, de deux cent trente Marocains tués dans la colonne envoyée en renfort.
  8. 1 2 "Morocco Admits Fall of Garrison". The New York Times. 1979-08-27. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-07-17.

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