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REVOLUTION: TESHUMARA AND TANEKRA 235initial leaders of the movement, the former leaders of Alfellaga. 87 In the firstyears after the creation of the Tanekra, the Algerian authorities proposed to itsleaders that the ishumar would be recruited in the POLISARIO, the movementfighting for the Liberation of the Seguiet al-Hamra and Rio d’Oro, or WesternSahara. Until 1974 this area remained formally under nominal Spanish administration,which was restricted to some coastal towns. In 1975, King Hassan II ofMorocco had organised the occupation of the northern part of the Western Saharain the famous ‘Green March’, in agreement with Mauritania, which tookthe Southern part. Mauritania withdrew in 1978, after which Morocco occupiedthe remaining part. All this was without the implication of, and to the discontentof, the inhabitants of the Western Sahara: The Arab Rgaybat, Tajakant andTekna federations. Their spokesmen had previously negotiated independencewith Spain. After the Moroccan occupation, the West Saharan independencemovement POLISARIO, together with a substantial part of the Rgaybat andTajakant population, withdrew to the Algerian town of Tindouf. With Algeriansupport they organised a well-equipped and trained army which at first defeatedMoroccan occupation forces, but with a heavy loss of life. These lost livescould now be replaced with fresh troops: The members of the Tanekra. Theoffer the Algerians made might have provided a welcome way for the Tanekramembers to gain military experience, but after hot debate, it was declined. Themain reason for refusal was that the Tanekra felt they had nothing to do witheither Morocco or the Western Sahara. Their fight was with Mali only. Asecond reason might have been that the Kel Adagh and the Rgaybat of theWestern Sahara and Drâa valley shared a history of enmity, dating from theRgaybat raids in the Adagh in the 1920s. A third reason for the refusal to joinPOLISARIO was that the younger members of the Tanekra did not trust themotives of the former ifulagen in sending their men to this movement as recruits.I went to Tamanrasset, where I found Ibrahim ag Agellokelok with his group. Theyexplained to me that, in fact, Issouf [ag Cheick, former afuleg and Tanekra leader]had not been honest, that he works with the Algerian secret services, that the secretservices had betrayed Issouf, and that Issouf betrayed us. (...) Algeria needed men,they spoke to Issouf, and Issouf said that O.K., he had men and could provide them,so that he could receive a commission or an important job. 888788Which secret services were meant was never specified in any conversation I had.Interview with Mohamed Lamine ag Mohamed Fall. Kidal, 27/12/1998. Young menlike Ibrahim ag Agellokelok and Fall were not the only ones to disagree on Tanekraengagement in POLISARIO. Both former ifulagen Keyni ag Sherif and Amegha agSherif stated that most former ifulagen within the Tanekra refused to engage themovement in the Western Saharan conflict.