Spanish Sahara was one of the last colonial possessions in Africa. The Polisario Front, an organization of the local Sahrawi people, had been fighting for independence for several years. The United Nations had long called for a plebiscite on the future status of the colony, but in November 1975 Spain signed an agreement under which it was split between Morocco and Mauritania with no prior referendum. By January 1976 Morocco controlled most towns in their assigned sector. Thousands of Sahrawi nomads were fleeing east to Algeria.