Results
The takeover was violently opposed by a pre-existing indigenous independence movement, the Polisario Front, which had gained support from Algeria. The ensuing war went badly for Mauritania, and Ould Daddah's government fell in 1978. The country left Tiris al-Gharbiyya the following year, renouncing all claims to any part of Western Sahara, and recognizing the Polisario Front as its people's legitimate representative. Relations with Rabat deteriorated rapidly, and amid allegations of Moroccan backing for attempted coups and minor armed clashes, Mauritania drew closer to Algeria and the Polisario. The government later established formal relations with the Front's government-in-exile, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, as a recognized sovereign over the territory.
The vision of Greater Mauritania holds little appeal in today's Mauritania, and it is not pursued by any major political faction. While still recognizing the Sahrawi republic, relations with Morocco have been largely mended, and the country generally seeks to stay out of the Western Sahara dispute, which remains unresolved.
Read more about this topic: Greater Mauritania
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