Morocco will commemorate on Friday the 47th anniversary of the recovery of Oued Eddahab Province, a landmark date in the country’s modern history and in the official narrative surrounding the completion of national independence and the consolidation of Morocco’s territorial unity.
The anniversary recalls the events of August 14, 1979, when delegations representing scholars, dignitaries, tribal leaders and prominent figures from Oued Eddahab traveled to Rabat to renew their allegiance to the late King Hassan II.
On that occasion, the delegations presented the text of the Bay’a, reaffirming their attachment to the Alaouite Throne and their allegiance to the Kingdom of Morocco. The event remains an important reference in Morocco’s national historical narrative concerning the relationship between the southern provinces and the central institutions of the Kingdom.
The recovery of Oued Eddahab was part of a broader process that followed Morocco’s independence in 1956. The country had previously recovered Tarfaya in 1958 and Sidi Ifni in 1969. The Green March of November 6, 1975 subsequently marked another major turning point before the recovery of Oued Eddahab in 1979.
Over the decades that followed, the southern provinces have witnessed major investments in infrastructure, economic development, urban planning, social services and cultural facilities. Oued Eddahab, and particularly the Dakhla area, has increasingly emerged as a strategic development hub.
The anniversary also serves as an occasion to highlight Morocco’s efforts to preserve its national historical memory. Ceremonies organized in Dakhla will bring together members of the resistance and liberation family, with speeches and testimonies recalling the different stages of the national struggle.
Several former resistance fighters and members of the Liberation Army are also scheduled to be honored in recognition of their contributions and sacrifices. The program includes the laying of the foundation stone for a Historical Memory Space dedicated to the Resistance and Liberation in Dakhla.
Forty-seven years after the events of August 14, 1979, the commemoration combines remembrance with a focus on the continuing development of the southern provinces. It provides an opportunity to revisit a significant chapter of Morocco’s contemporary history while highlighting the economic, social and infrastructural transformation taking place in the region.
