Ifni War 1957-1958

The Spanish, under the rule of Francisco Franco, had supported groups opposed to French colonial rule in Morocco until it gained independence from France in 1956. However, Spain still retained colonial holdings, including the enclave of Ifni and part of Spanish Sahara, which were also considered historically Moroccan territory. The Moroccan Army of Liberation (MLA), founded to coordinate the many groups resisting French colonial rule, now sought to liberate the Spanish-held territories by force – possibly with covert support from the Moroccan government (although the government denied this and no regular forces were ever engaged). MLA forces numbering about 12,000 fighters, drawn from tribal populations and volunteers from the regular Moroccan armed forces, invaded Ifni and Spanish Sahara on November 21, 1957.

The outnumbered Spanish garrison of Ifni, under MLA pressure and unable to support outlying positions, abandoned all of its outposts in Ifni and by December 12 was reduced to holding a 10km long defensive perimeter around the capital of Sidi Ifni. Lacking harbor facilities, reinforcements and supplies for the Spanish garrison had to be unloaded over open beaches or airdropped. Even so, Spain managed to deploy more than 10,000 troops to the besieged enclave which thereafter proved able to resist the MLA siege which continued into the spring of 1958.

Meanwhile, to the south, the garrison of Spanish Sahara contained the MLA forces directed at the capital of El Aaiun. MLA fighters also penetrated into Mauritania, which was still a colony of France at that time but French troops forced them to retreat. On January 13, 1958, the Spanish Foreign Legion captured an important MLA base of operations. From February through March, French and Spanish forces, both with air support, conducted a series of battles that drove the MLA out of Spanish Sahara. Military success did not settle matter. Secret negotiations between Spain and Morocco led to an agreement, on April 10, 1958, on the Spanish transfer of the Southern Protectorate (also known as Tarfaya) and Infni to Morocco.

Notes

[1] Correlates of War (CoW) lists this war as inter-state but sources do not support identifying the Moroccan Liberation Army as the armed forces of Morocco. Indeed, the distinction is very clearly made in most sources.

[2] CoW reports Spanish battle deaths as 122. Clodfelter reports Spanish battle deaths of 113 (at Ifni by December 3rd and Spanish Sahara on January 13th). Scianna reports 200 killed for the war from Spanish sources and seems more plausible.

References

Brownstone and Franck, 466; Clodfelter, 999; COW158; Keesing’s 1957, 15895; Keesing’s 1958, 16223; Scianna, 41-56.

Bastian Matteo Scianna. Stuck in the past? British views on the Spanish army’s effectiveness and military culture, 1946–1983. War and Society, 38(1). 2019.

Region

North Africa

Belligerents

Spain, France, Moroccans

Dispute

Territory

Initiation Date

November 21, 1957

Termination Date

April 10, 1958

Duration

4 months, 21 days
(141 days)

Outcome

Negotiated Settlement
(Moroccan victory)

Fatalities

Total: 1,200
France: 0
Spain: 200^[2]
Moroccans: 1,000

Magnitude

3.1

Armed Conflict Events Data