The historical return of this beloved part of Moroccan territory to the homeland was the result of a long struggle over decades committed by Morocco to complete its independence and territorial integrity, a strong fight, on November 23 1957 by the uprising of the tribes of Ait Baamrane against the occupation, resulting in the recovery of the city of Tarfaya and Sidi Ifni in 1969 and other parts of the Moroccan Sahara through the saga of the Green March in 1975. 

Four years later, Monday, Aug. 14, 1979, the population of Oued Ed-Dahab, through its elite, its leaders, its clerics and representatives of different tribes, visited the Kingdom's capital to present late King Hassan II their oath of allegiance and reaffirm their sense of belonging to the Glorious Throne Alawite. 

By this solemn and highly patriotic act, the people of Oued Ed-Dahab meant they never give up their Moroccan identity by showing the world that the Sahara has always been and will remain Moroccan forever, despite the maneuvers of opponents. 

March 4, 1980, the late Sovereign had gone out to meet the people of Oued Ed-Dahab as part of an official visit to Dakhla on the occasion of the Throne Day. This visit was a unifying national unity momentum, marking grand reunion between the unifier of the country and his faithful subjects, attesting once again the commitment of the people of the southern provinces to the motherland and its sacred institutions. 

Since then, Morocco has stepped up efforts to achieve economic and social development of its southern provinces in a process of comprehensive and continuous development. 

Following in the footsteps of his august father, King Mohammed VI gave significant importance to the southern provinces and their people and strengthened the national mobilization to face the conspiracies of the enemies of the territorial integrity, expressing the determination of Morocco preserve their inalienable rights. 

In this regard, His Majesty reiterated in the Throne Speech in 2014 the central position of the Sahara issue as top priority for Morocco, calling for vigilance and mobilization to anticipate the maneuvers of the enemies of nation. 

"We reiterate our commitment to our initiative to give our southern provinces an autonomy statute, the Security Council in its latest resolution qualified as seriousness and credible," said His Majesty King Mohammed VI, emphasizing the determination of the kingdom to continue development in the southern provinces. 

To this end, the Sovereign said: "We are not mortgaging the future of the region, but we will continue the projects of development and modernization, especially in moving forward in the implementation of the development model of our southern provinces, based on a participatory approach, good governance and coherent and multidimensional projects aspiring to achieve integrated development. " 

This new model of economic and social development of the southern provinces, as part of an inclusive and participatory approach to be a model of last generation, designed by and for the people of the South, aims to identify malfunctions, preserve acquired and offers realistic and viable alternatives for the local population in the southern provinces. 

Today, the province of Oued Ed-Dahab is entitled to claim to have achieved a qualitative leap in the economic, social and urban areas, as it is now part of the poles of both domestic and foreign investment, particularly in the areas of fishing, equipment, agriculture and tourism. 

The commemoration of the recovery of the province of Oued Ed-Dahab will always be an opportunity to reflect national values that are the basis of the epics of Morocco and renew the sense of citizenship and mobilization to preserve the unity of the kingdom and go forward in the building and development process in various fields. 

- News and events on Western issue / Corcas-