[[File:Saguia el-Hamra, Laayoune.jpg|200px|thumb|The road into [[El Aaiún]] from the north crosses the [[Saguia el-Hamra]], a seasonal river]]
Portions of [[Western Sahara]] were a Spanish Colony till 1975 as the last colonial province in Africa.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/documentos/98/DT-15-2004-E.pdf |format=PDF |publisher=[[:es:Elcano Royal Institute|Real Instituto Elcano]] |last=González Campo |first=Julio |title=Documento de Trabajo núm. 15 DT-2004. Las pretensiones de Marruecos sobre los territorios españoles en el norte de África (1956–2002) |language=Spanish |page=6 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304042159/http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/documentos/98/DT-15-2004-E.pdf |archivedate=2016-03-04 }}</ref> A war erupted between those countries and the [[Sahrawi people|Sahrawi]] national [[liberation movement]], the [[Polisario Front]], which proclaimed the [[Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic]] (SADR) with a government in exile in [[Tindouf]], [[Algeria]]. [[Mauritania]] withdrew in 1979, and Morocco eventually secured control of most of the territory, including all the major cities and natural resources.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/en/sc/repertoire/93-95/Chapter%208/AFRICA/93-95_8-3-%20WESTERN%20SAHARA.pdf|title=Report of the Secretary-General on the situation concerning Western Sahara (paragraph 37, p. 10)|format=PDF|date=2 March 1993|accessdate=4 October 2014}}</ref> Polisario was formed in 1973 to fight for the rights of Sahawari Arab African People. Polisario attacked Moroccan positions many times and have retaliated. Continued war was waged between Polisario and Morocco over prominence in the region backed by Algeria for Polisario and US, France and Saudi Arabia for Morocco. <ref>{{cite book|title=The Air Force role in low-intensity conflict|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mI7bvRzLOgYC&pg=PA47&dq=Battle+of+Guelta+Zemmour&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwic6-KVv57QAhVKuI8KHcA7BkkQ6AEIIDAB#v=onepage&q=Battle%20of%20Guelta%20Zemmour&f=false|page=47|publisher=DIANE Publishing|isbn=9781428928275}}</ref> Polisario were successful in cutting the transport of Phosphorus across Western Sahara to Atlantic Coast. The transport infrastructure of the region, including the border towns of [[Morocco]] was affected during the wars.<ref>{{cite book|title=Perspectives on Western Sahara: Myths, Nationalisms, and Geopolitics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8wPGAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA18&dq=western+sahara+transport&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiM4fzZk6HQAhVIt48KHRfrBngQ6AEIJzAC#v=onepage&q=western%20sahara%20transport&f=false|page=18|editor1-first=Anouar|editor1-last= Boukhars|editor2-first= Jacques|editor2-last= Roussellier|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2013|isbn=9781442226869}}</ref>