Polisario

American  

[poh-li-sahr-ee-oh] / poʊ lɪˈsɑr iˌoʊ /

noun

1. an independence movement opposing Moroccan control of the Western Sahara, a former Spanish territory that Morocco annexed in stages beginning in 1976.

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Etymology

Origin of Polisario

< Spanish ( Frente ) Po ( pular para la ) Li ( beración de ) Sa ( gnia el-Hamra y ) Rí ( o de ) O ( ro ) Popular Front for the Liberation of Sagnia El-Hamra and Río de Oro

Example Sentences

When Spain pulled out of Western Sahara in 1975, both Morocco and the Polisario, which was founded two years earlier, claimed the territory.

From Barron's • Nov. 18, 2025

The Security Council had previously urged Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria and Mauritania to resume talks to reach a broad agreement.

From Barron's • Oct. 31, 2025

Morocco annexed Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony believed to have considerable offshore oil deposits and mineral resources, in 1975, sparking a conflict with the pro-independence Polisario Front.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 17, 2023

Morocco's conflict with the Polisario was frozen in 1991 with a U.N.-backed ceasefire that included a plan for a referendum to resolve the territory's status.

From Reuters • Jun. 8, 2023

Since June 2007,   representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario   Front have met four times to negotiate the status of Western Sahara.

From The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency