The Moroccan delegation participating in a preparatory meeting for the Japan-Africa summit in Tokyo thwarted an Algerian maneuver aimed at imposing the Polisario. This act violated the sovereignty of the host country, which had not invited the separatist movement.
The CIA described Morocco's Sand Wall in the Sahara as an unprecedented defense installation that effectively turned the tide of the war against the Polisario Front. The wall's success in reducing insurgent activity and stabilizing the region attracted attention from both US and Soviet military experts.