THE SAND WAR.

The article focuses on the 1963 Sand War, a border conflict between newly independent Morocco and Algeria rooted in territorial disputes and complex historical legacies. Despite shared cultural and religious ties, the unclear colonial-era borders, competing nationalist claims—especially Morocco’s vision of a "Greater Morocco"—and ideological differences between Moroccan King Hassan II and Algerian President Ahmed Ben Bella escalated tensions. The war involved military clashes, international interventions, and was intertwined with Cold War dynamics, ending with an Organization of African Unity-brokered ceasefire in 1963 and a formal border agreement in 1971. However, the conflict entrenched long-lasting enmity, influencing subsequent regional disputes such as the Western Sahara issue and diplomatic ruptures persisting into the 21st century.