The governments of the Gambia and Equatorial Guinea welcomed Morocco’s intervention in Guerguerat to secure commercial and civil traffic in the buffer zone along the Moroccan-Mauritanian border.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Gambia shared a press release on Monday to hail Morocco’s “peaceful and decisive intervention” to secure the region after Polisario and its supporters staged illegal protests in the region.
Their maneuvers in Guerguerat included a blockade, leaving truck drivers stranded for over three weeks, from October 21, and disrupting supplies to Mauritanian markets.
The provocations forced Morocco’s military to intervene and build a security cordon to secure the flow of goods and people.
The decision received applause from a long list of countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Sao Tome and Principe, and others.
The Gambia has now joined the list, reiterating support for Morocco’s territorial integrity.
The West African country also expressed concerns following the developments in the Guerguerat buffer zone, saying that it supports the UN-led political process to find a political solution to the Western Sahara conflict.
The Gambia’s foreign ministry also expressed support for Morocco’s efforts to find a lasting solution under the auspices of the UN.
Additionally, on November 15, the government of Equatorial Guinea, which supports Morocco’s territorial integrity, announced it followed Morocco’s peaceful operation to restore order and ensure the free movement of goods and people.
In the statement, Equatorial Guinea urged MINURSO, the peacekeeping operation in Western Sahara, and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to increase their efforts to achieve a peaceful and a final solution to secure the stability of the region.
Amid Morocco’s efforts towards security and stability, Polisario continues to call the situation a war.
The Polisario Front declared an end to the ceasefire agreement, in place since 1991, and opened fire on Morocco’s army.
On Friday, in addition to securing the border crossing, Morocco’s army responded to provocations along the Moroccan defense line in Mahbes, a UN-restricted area near the Algerian border.
Morocco’s state media quoted a statement from FAR-Maroc, a Facebook page specialized in Morocco’s military affairs, saying that Morocco’s military destroyed a “weapon bearing arms to the east of the defense wall at the level of Mahbes.”
Despite the UN’s calls for adherence to international agreements, Polisario continues to threaten to escalate its violations in the region.
AFP quoted Polisario, which said that thousands of volunteers have completed their training and are preparing to head to the “militarized region.”
