Forty years ago, the King of Morocco ordered nearly a quarter of a million Moroccans to march into the Sahara desert to claim an area of disputed territory from Spain.

The Green March, as it became known, was instigated in part to boost King Hassan the Second's faltering support at home and sparked a long guerrilla war.

Moroccan TV journalist, Seddik Maaninou, was on the march and spoke to Witness about a turning point in North African history.

Witness is a World Service programme of the stories of our times told by the people who were there.