THE ALGERIA-MOROCCO BOUNDARY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T01018A000500020001-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 16
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 2, 1999
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: October 1, 1963
• Content Type: STUDY

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C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L
NO FOREIGN DISSEM
GEOGRAPHIC SUPPORT STUDY
THE ALGERIA-MOROCCO BOUNDARY
CIA/RR GS 63-28
October 1963
Office of Research and Reports
C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L
NO FOREIGN DISSEM
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Much of the boundary between Morocco and Algeria has no precise
or internationally sanctioned basis. The western two-thirds of the
boundary, where territorial claims are currently being made, is in
reality a frontier area.
1. Legal Aspects
The border between Algeria and Morocco can be considered in three
sectors, each differing markedly from the other two.
From the coast of the Mediterranean Sea south to Teniet Sassi, a
distance of 102.5 miles, the boundary is precisely described in the
Convention of Lalla-Marnia of 18 March 18+5 between Morocco and
France. Because the description follows fixed cultural and physical
features, most of which can be identified on topographic maps, there
would appear to be only a remote possibility of disagreement in this
sector. The Convention did not intend that a conventional boundary
should be established south of Teniet Sassi because the area to the
south was tribal country; the Convention therefore allocated the
Most of the information on the legal aspect of the boundary that is
contained in this report was taken from The Boundaries of Algeria,
produced by the Office of the Geographer, Department of State, in
1959. This-is the latest authoritative work on the boundaries of
Algeria.
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tribes, and a few villages, to one country or the other, thereby creating
a frontier rather than a boundary. Sovereignty was recognized over
tribes, not over territory.
As French control spread southward a more precise definition of
the respective sovereignties became necessary. The second sector was
defined by the Protocol of Paris, 20 July 1901. It extended the
'boundary southward from Teniet Sassi to Guir, southwest of Colomb
:Bechar, using tribal areas, physical features, straight lines between
points. Although the portion between Teniet Sassi and Figuig is vague
and hard to follow on maps, it has been depicted on published maps of
Algeria and Morocco fairly consistently. After the x.901 Protocol
proved to be inadequate, an accord covering the whole sector was
signed on 4 March 1910, and Varnier, the French High Commissioner
in Oujda, was given the task of executing the accord. The Teniet
Sassi -- Figuig portion of the "Varnier Line" was identical with the
1901 Protocol boundary, and there appears to be only slight opportunity
for disagreement over the location of the boundary in this part of the
sector. However, between Figuig and Guir the 1901 Protocol boundary had
been found to cut through some of the tribal areas rather than between
them. In an attempt to rectify this the Varnier Line was run well west
of the 1901 Protocol boundary, thereby increasing Algerian territory in
the Colomb-Bechar salient. Since then there have been several versions
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of the Varnier Line, which largely reflect the relative strengths of
the governors on both sides of the boundary. The current version is
shown on Map 28395. None of them has the stature of an international
agreement, and the boundary in this entire sector rests on the 1901
Protocol. In practice the southern end of this-sector has ranged
.from Guir to a point about 75 miles west-northwest of Guir near the
western edge of the Hammada du Guir.
The third sector lies between the southern end of Sector 2 and
Spanish Sahara. No agreement exists for this sector. Furthermore,
available information does not indicate any record of the establish-
ment of an informal boundary based on local usage or allegiance. For
the western half of the sector most French sources consider the
southern limit of Morocco to be the north cliff of the Hammada du Dra
(not the Oued Dra), which is called the "limite de la zone de
securite" on French maps of Morocco. French maps of Algeria show the
boundary as the north bank of the Oued Dra which lies well north of
the Hammada du Dra.
The Oued Dra can be considered as a possible line only in the area
west of Tagounit (29058'N-05035'W) where it turns west after leaving
the mountains. East of Tagounit the "Oued DraLine" must depend on the
:Location of the southern end of the Varnier Line, which has been at
several different points. Even for the current version of the Varnier
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Line (see Map 28395) Algerian maps have shown different versions of the
Oued Dra Line east of Tagounit.
Two other lines have been put forward unilaterally but neither has
any legal status. "Project Trinquet" was carried out in 1930-38 by the
French general of that name who was then resident at Tiznit. At that
time, French interests lay in expanding Moroccan claims at the expense
of Algeria. For the territory southwest of the Varnier Line the
Project Trinquet proposed a line following approximately the northern
edge of the Hammada du Dra, well south of most other lines, but this
line was rejected by the French Government. Later, the northern
edge of the Hammada du Dra was called the "limite de la zone de
p6curit6". In 1958, incidents stemming from the Algerian war caused
the French and Moroccans to exchange notes vaguely describing the
frontier area southwest of the Varnier Line. On the basis of these
notes the French established a "de facto line" which lay north Of the
Trinquet Line except for the area north of Meridja,31033'N-02?57'W.
It followed the Oued Dra from Spanish Sahara to a point near Tagounit
and continued north and east, following the lower course of the Oued
Ziz on the north side of the Kem Kem Plateau. From there it apparently
followed the western edge of the Hammada du Guir and almost the entire
course of Oued Zelmou, thence almost due east to Figuig. The de facto
line is reported to have been honored by the Moroccans whenever it was
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invoked by the French between 1958 and 1962. Thus it appears to have
been the northernmost operational limit of French Algeria during those
years.
Moroccan claims to Algerian territory therefore appear not to
present a problem in the area north of Figuig. South of Figuig,
Moroccan claims are extensive, including Reggane in central Algeria
and part of southwestern Mali (see Map 2839+), areas far beyond the
current zone of conflict. South of Guir there is no legal basis
for a boundary.
2. Character of the Problem Sector
The area between Colomb Bechar (31037'N-02031'W) and Tindouf
(27?42'N-08?O9'W) falls in the transition zone between the rugged,
semiarid Anti-Atlas mountains to the northwest and the ill-defined,
partially-dissected, arid wastes of the Sahara to the southeast.
Settlements are limited to valleys with perennially available water.
For the most part the terrain is rugged. North of the Oued Dra
-?- between Tiglit (28031'N-lOol8'W) and Tagounit (29?58'N-05?35'W) --
a series of rocky ridges form the foothills of the Anti-Atlas (see
Map 28395). These ridges are known collectively as the Jebel Bani.
]:n general, their crests rise more than 1,000 feet above the valleys
that separate them. The sides are steep and in many instances almost
vertical. South of the Jebel Bani the Oued Dra flows across a surface
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that is more subdued, but still rugged. The entire area is covered by
a maze of dry streambeds, whose valley sides are steep though relatively
low, and areas whose surfaces are extremely flat and in some instances
quite sandy, with a few dry lakebeds. Similar wadi and plain terrain
characterizes the area northeast of Tagounit, which is drained by the
Oued ed Daoura and its main tributary the Oued Ziz.
South and east of the Oued Dra and Oued ed Daoura lowlands lie the
plateau surfaces of the Hammada du Dra and Hammada du Guir, which
extend southward beyond the frontier region into the sandy wastes of
the Erg Iguidi in Algeria. The barren, relatively flat surfaces of
these hammadas are interrupted by numerous steep scarps and deep, dry
valleys. The borders of the plateaus are irregular, ranging from high,
steep scarps to gentle slopes that are difficult to identify.
The entire frontier area is extremely arid; no place averages more
than 3 inches of rainfall per year. What rainfall occurs is highly
unreliable; in any part of the area, several years may pass between
storms. These storms usually are violent local thundershowers of short
duration. Extreme temperatures are characteristic. Summer daytime
temperatures may exceed 110?F, but near-freezing temperatures may be
experienced at night.
Vegetative cover reflects the arid nature of this region. What
:Little plant cover exists is in the form of low, widely scattered,
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drought-resistant shrubs and grasses. The Hammada du Dra and Hammada
du Guir are almost completely devoid of vegetation, and what vegetation
there is in the rest of the region is limited to the stream courses,
where moisture is close enough to the surface to be reached by plant
roots.
The valleys of the Oued Dra -- between Agdz (3Oo42'N-O6o29'W) and
Tagounit -- and the Oued Ziz -- between Erfoud (31026'N-O4o14'W) and
Rissani (31o17'N-O4ol7'W) -- support relatively dense populations.
Berber farmers in these valleys cultivate groves of date palms as well
as growing small amounts of wheat and barley. Although most farm
products are grown for subsistence purposes, they also serve as a
basis for a small amount of trade with a small number of Arab nomads.
Otherwise, these nomads subsist on the products of their goats and
camels.
West of Tagounit, water rarely flows on the surface in the Cued
Dra and the stream course has insufficient water to support settlements.
Among the ridges of the Jebel Bani, however, a string of oases stretches
from Tagounit to Assa (28036'N-09o26'W) -- including Foum Zguid
(3O0o5'N-O6o52'W), Agadir Tissint (29054'N-o7019'W), Tata (29o1+5'N_o7059'w),
and Foum el Hassane (290021N-O8o551W). These small oases support small
but dense groves of date palms. There are a few unreliable wells south of
these oases and the Oued Dra, near the northern edge of the Hammada du Dra.
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Transportation is very difficult in this region. At best the
"roads" are no better than trails, and off-road movement is often
preferable to traveling on them. Most roads and trails follow dry
streambeds, which are subject to occasional devastating floods. The
high, steep slopes of the Jebel Bani as well as the numerous scarps
and steep valleys that occur throughout the Hammada du Dra and the
Hammada du Guir present formidable barriers to transportation in the
frontier region.
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3.
Location of Places
Agadir Tissint
o
29 54 N
0
07 19 W
Agdz
3042N
0629W
Akka
29 25 N
o8 15 w
Assa
28 36 N
09 26 w
Bou Nou
29 32 N
09 49 w
Colomb Bechar
31 37 N
02 13 w
El Hafeira
29 28 N
07 05 w
Erf oud
31 26 N
o4 14 w
Figuig
32 06 N
Ol 14 W
Foum el Hassane
29 02 N
08 55 W
Foum Zguid
30 05 N
07 19 w
Guir
30 29 N
02 18 w
Hassi Beida
29 31 N
05 44 w
Meridja
31 33 N
02 57 W
Oued ZeJ.mau
3145N
0248W
Oued Ziz
30 39 N
b4 26 w
Reggane
26 42 N
00 10 T$
Rissani
31 17 N
04 17 W
Tagounit
29 58 N
05 35 W
Tat a
29 45 N
07 59 W
Teniet Sassi
34 06 N
01 38 w
Tiglit
28 31 N
io 18 W
Tindouf
27 42 N
08 09 W
Tinfouchi
2853N
0542W
Tinjoub
29 29 N
05 38 w
Tiznit
29 45 N
4 8 ' w
Tlemcen
34 52 N
01 19 W
-9-
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 AN Li
TRANSPORTATION
Intemaiianal boundary
+- Selected Standard gage railroad
Tom- Selected narrow gage railread
-- selected road
Selectee other road er track
Intermittentlake
Marsh
Sand
Shot height (in feel(
ATL,1XTIC'i
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ALGERIA.MOROCCp BOUNDARY QUEST
Convention a Lalla-Marnia, March 18, 1845
Protocol of Paris, 1901
"Varnier Lin? "-Modification of 1901 Protocol
(current ve sion)
"Oued Dra ine"
??"......... "Limite de a zone de securite"
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GEOGRAPHIC SUPPORT STUDY
THE ALGERIA-MOROCCO BOUNDARY
CIA/RR GS 63-28
October 1963
Return to D/G0.0
RQcM 3_E-581
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Office of Research and Reports
CONFIDENTIAL
NO FOREIGN DISSEM
GROUP 1
Excluded from automatic
downgrading and
declassification
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WARNING
This material contains information affecting
the National Defense of the United States
within the meaning of the espionage laws,
Title 18, USC, Secs. 793 and 794, the trans-
mission or revelation of which in any manner
to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
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 Approved For Released //? f - DP79TO1018A000500020001-4
NO FOREIGN DISSEM
CONFIDENTIAL
NO FOREIGN D SS
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The Algeria -Morocco Boundary
...0e .__-- NIE 62-63
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29Oct 63
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