The Polisario Front is once again threatening war with Morocco.
Rabat – After the contradictory statement from the separatist group’s leader, Ibrahim Ghali, a separatist “diplomat” said that the Polisario army is deployed at the gate of Guerguerat on the Mauritanian border.
Pro-Polisario news outlet Futuro Sahara quoted the separatist Sahrawi “diplomat,” Najat Handi, who said that the Polisario Front’s army is “ready to intervene at any moment” to address “violations” from Morocco.
The statement comes after the Ghali called for war with Morocco in a video message posted by Futuro Sahara in July.
The separatist leader said that the Polisario Front is launching an initiative for compulsory military service in the Tindouf camps, to “prepare for the inevitable war against a relentless enemy.”
Ghali said that peace negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario are not going “anywhere,” adding that Polisario has only one alternative: war.
Weeks after his threats of war, the leader ofthe separatist group asked for “cooperation and reconciliation” with Morocco.
He said that he is “extending” Polisario’s hand to the Kingdom of Morocco for “peace, reconciliation, cooperation, and good neighborliness.” He, however, called the self-proclaimed SADR a “brotherly country.” which stands in direct opposition to Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
The Polisario’s calls for war run in direct opposition to the United Nations’ position. The UN has long warned both Morocco and the Polisario front against any action with might destabilize the region.
In addition to threats of war, Handi also criticized the United Nations for not appointing a personal envoy after the resignation of Horst Kohler for health reasons on May 22.
She said that Sahrawis are “waiting for the appointment of the personal envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General as soon as possible.”
She added that the post “can’t remain vacant any longer.”
The self-styled diplomat also spoke about the Polisario-Mauritania rapprochement, claiming that the rapprochement is “beneficial to the region and its people.”
She added that with a good relation between Polisario supporter, Algeria, Mauritania, the separatist group would “contribute to giving a boost to the conflict, which remains unsolved for a long time.”
The Polisario leadership is now facing the fact that several international powers, including the US are allegedly not in favor of the creation of a new state between Morocco and Mauritania.
Polisario expressed frustration after the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published a lengthy report on the US’ support for Morocco’s cause. On August 11, the WSJ said that Washington cannot support the emergence of a state in southern Morocco.
With all the ongoing inhumane incidents in the Tindouf camps, the Polisario Front’s focus is on convincing international powers of its separatist ideologies and the validity of its position.
A delegation of the separatist group is currently taking part at this year’s Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) meeting in Yokohama. Despite the presence of the self-proclaimed SADR at the event, Japan remains staunch in its support for Morocco’s territorial integrity.
The Polisario Front, meanwhile, continues the arbitrary arrests of all political opposition in the Tindouf camps. While human rights organizations call on the Polisario leadership to address the ongoing human rights violations and inhumane conditions in the camps, Ghali blithely looks the other way, pointing the finger at Morocco and flexing its diminutive muscles.
