Atlas of Battles

battle, Cold War

First Battle of Amgala

First Battle of Amgala was a battle fought on 27 January 1976 at Amgala, in what is now Western Sahara; it lasted 2 days. It was part of the Western Sahara War, which ran from 1975 to 1991. The recorded result: Moroccan victory. Recorded strength: 2 battalions of 600 men against 1 battalion of 400 men.

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Fought27 January 1976lasted 2 days
WhereAmgala, Western Sahara26.447N, 11.515W
OutcomeMoroccan victory
Part ofWestern Sahara War1975 to 1991

Where it sits in the Western Sahara War

Battles of La Güera and Tichla, 1975Battle of Ain Ben Tili, 1976First Battle of Amgala, 1976Second Battle of Amgala, 1976Battle of Bucraa, 1977Battle of Zouérat, 1977Battle of Tan-Tan, 1979Battle of Tichla, 1979Battle of Bir Anzarane, 1979Battle of Smara, 1979Battle of Al Mahbes, 1979Battle of Bucraa, 1979Siege of Zag, 1979Battle of Akka, 1980Battle of Cape Boujdour, 1980Battle of Gueltat Zemmour, 1980Battle of Gueltat Zemmour, 1981Battle of Smara, 1981Battle of Guelta Zemmur, 1981Smara and Bou Craa attacks, 1982Battle of Lemseied, 1983Battle of Smara, 1983Battle of Z'Moul Niran, 1984Battle of Hausa (1984), 1984Battle of Al Mahbes, 1985Battle of Farsia, 1987Battle of Tichla, 1987Battles of Farsia and Oum Dreyga, 1987Haouza attack, 1988Battle of Oum Dreyga, 1988Battle of Guelta Zemmour, 1989Battle of Hausa, 1989Battle of Amgala, 198919751989First Battle of Amgala, 1976
33 placed engagements of the Western Sahara War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date27 January 1976
to 29 January 1976
PlaceAmgala, Western Sahara
26.447N, 11.515W
KindBattle, Cold War
Strength2 battalions of 600 men; 1 battalion of 400 men
Casualties and losses400 killed; (Algerian claim); 2 Killed, 16 wounded; (Moroccan claim); 1 Moroccan F-5 aircraft shot down; 200 killed; 106–118 captured; (Moroccan claim)
Commanders
  • Hassan II
  • Houari Boumediene
ParticipantsMorocco, Algeria
First Battle of AmgalaFirst Battle of AmgalaSecond Battle of AmgalaBattle of SmaraBattle of HausaSecond Battle of AmgalaBattle of SmaraBattle of HausaLaayouneDawra100 km26.447N, 11.515W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1976

First Battle of Amgala is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 5 in present-day Western Sahara.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q3401898, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article First Battle of Amgala, revision 1376842803, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.