Former Mauritanian general Lebatt Ould El-Meiouf has criticized renewed claims over the city of Lagouera, asserting they contradict Mauritania's long-standing position on Western Sahara. His remarks highlight the historical decision made in 1979, when Mauritania renounced territorial claims and recognized «SADR». Photomontage / Gemini ‹ › Former Mauritanian general Lebatt Ould El-Meiouf has recently voiced reservations over renewed territorial claims in Mauritania concerning the city of Lagouera, located in the far south of Morocco, opposite Nouadhibou. According to him, such claims contradict the official position adopted by Nouakchott in the late 1970s, as reported by several media outlets in the Mauritanian capital. Ould El-Meiouf argues that these assertions undermine the historical and political coherence that has guided Mauritania's stance on the Sahara issue for decades. He recalls that in 1979, Mauritania unilaterally renounced all territorial claims to Western Sahara following an agreement signed with the Polisario on August 10, 1979, in Algiers. That decision marked a major strategic turning point, ending a period of direct Mauritanian involvement in the conflict linked to the Madrid Accords of November 14, 1975, signed by Morocco, Spain, and Mauritania. The former general further notes that this political orientation was reinforced in 1984, when Nouakchott officially recognized that the Sahara did not fall under its national sovereignty and simultaneously recognized the «Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic» (SADR). According to him, successive governments have maintained this diplomatic line without significant revision. He therefore questions why no such claims were raised during key moments of that historical period, particularly at the time of the 1979 agreement or the 1984 recognition. The renewed debate, as discussions on the future of the Sahara dossier continue under the aegis of the United Nations Security Council in accordance with Resolution 2797, raises questions, in his view, about both the timing and the motivations behind these new assertions. The 1979 Letter of Renunciation to the UN In a letter dated August 20, 1979, and recorded under reference A/34/427, addressed to the UN General Assembly and Security Council, Mauritania formally «renounced any territorial claim to Western Sahara and decided to withdraw from the ongoing conflict», according to a document consulted by Yabiladi. The letter also announced the withdrawal of Mauritanian troops and administration from «the part of Western Sahara it controlled (Oued Eddahab)», and requested that the Moroccan government «immediately withdraw its contingents stationed on Mauritanian territory». The correspondence specified that, following this withdrawal, Mauritania's borders would remain those established at the time of its independence in 1960. The document was signed by Sidi Ahmed Ould Taya, then Mauritania's permanent representative to the United Nations, giving the démarche formal diplomatic weight. This strategic shift followed the coup d'état of July 10, 1978, which led to the fall of President Moktar Ould Daddah. Morocco thereby lost a key ally, while a faction within the ruling junta sought to disengage from the obligations stemming from the November 14, 1975, Madrid Accords, under which Oued Eddahab had been assigned to Mauritania and the remainder of the territory to Morocco. Contrary to Algeria's expectations, Mauritania's withdrawal from the Madrid Accords ultimately benefited Morocco rather than the Polisario.
