Rabat – The Polisario Front’s “army chief” Mohamed Ouali Akeik has threatened Morocco with terrorist attacks, saying that the southern Moroccan cities of Laayoune and Dakhla are “legitimate” targets for the separatist front.
In a statement to Spanish news outlet Larazon, the Polisario member claimed that the “war “ with Morocco will extend to southern provinces with the aim of striking “Moroccan targets without affecting civilians.”
The separatist group declared war against Morocco in November 2020, in defiance of repeated UN calls for de-escalation and restraint to salvage the UN Security Council-led political process.
Polisario’s war claims followed Morocco’s peaceful intervention on November 13, 2020, to halt a Polisario blockade in Guerguerat, near the Mauritanian-Moroccan borders.
The three-week blockade disrupted civil and commercial traffic, causing a shortage of fruits and vegetable exports to several African countries – particularly Mauritania.
Following Morocco’s peaceful intervention, Polisario launched a “war” that several media outlets, especially Algeria’s official news agency, were quick to falsely blame Morocco.
This is not the first time that Morocco has received threats from both the Polisario Front and its main backer, the Algerian regime.
In November 2021, former senior Algerian military intelligence officer Mokkhtar Said Mediouni publicly called on the separatist group to attack Morocco’s urban centers to undermine the country’s security.
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Speaking during a television show aired on Al Hayat television channel, Mediouni called on Polisario to carry out terrorist attacks against Moroccan cities.
“Sahrawis, die and sacrifice yourself as martyrs for your country. Take the war from the ‘occupied’ land to Moroccan territory,” he said.
He publicly called on Polisario operatives to attack “not in Western Sahara, I mean take it to Moroccan territory… I’m talking about Casablanca, Marrakech.”
The latest remarks from Polisario’s “army chief” indicate that UN diplomats still have a long road ahead when it comes to resolving the territorial dispute over Western Sahara.
The UN-led political process has been witnessing stagnation since 2019 after the resignation of the former envoy for Western Sahara Horst Kohler.
Staffan de Mistura, whom the UN appointed last year to replace Kohler, has been attempting to relaunch the peace process amid reluctance from both the Polisario and the Algerian regime — two main parties to the dispute.
Algeria cut ties with Morocco last summer, further decreasing the prospects for a successful relaunch of the UN-led political process amid an escalation of tensions between Algiers and Rabat.
The Algerian regime has to date dismissed all initiatives and offers to restore relations with Morocco. Recently, reports suggested that Saudi Arabia has been planning to mediate between Rabat and Algiers for reconciliations.
But the Algerian Foreign Ministry has said there will be no chance for a mediation, “not today, not tomorrow and there will never be.”
