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The Sahrawi Non-Governmental Organizations Alliance has responded to Polisario’s latest terrorist attack against Morocco’s Mahbes region, accusing Algeria of exacerbating tensions and hindering efforts to achieve a peaceful solution to the Western Sahara dispute.
In a statement shared with Morocco World News earlier today, the NGOs condemned the violations of the 1991 ceasefire agreement by the Polisario Front, which launched projectiles against the Mahbes region, where a ceremony commemorating the 49th Green March anniversary took place on Saturday.
The NGOs expressed deep concerns about the situation, describing the Polisario attack as a serious violation of the ceasefire put in place since 1991.
The alliance “views this as a dangerous escalation in the region, aimed at sparking tension and the resumption of hostilities in the border area of Mahbes, despite the ceasefire being maintained since the implementation of the ceasefire agreement,” the statement said.
It also renewed concerns about the Algerian regime’s continued support for the Polisario Front, accusing it of exposing North Africa to an “uncertain future.”
“The Alliance of Sahrawi NGOs expresses deep concerns over Algeria’s stance,” the statement said, recalling Algeria’s reluctance to shoulder its responsibility in the dispute despite its direct, decades-long involvement.
“Its position has had a negative impact on the development of Polisario’s position,” the statement said, adding that this “resistance” is seen as an attempt to achieve territorial gains.
“This was expressed in its 2021 proposal to the UN Secretary-General, calling for the division of Western Sahara and the guarantee of a maritime outlet to the Atlantic,” the statement said.
The statement comes in the wake of a speech in which King Mohammed VI fiercely slammed all parties attempting to exploit the Sahara dispute for political gain, with particular emphasis on Algeria’s role in fueling hostilities.
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The Moroccan monarch condemned Algeria’s continuous support for the Polisario as well as the Algerian regime’s perceived determination to cling to “outdated narratives” and impractical goals, such as its long sidelined dream of getting the UN to organize a self-determination referendum .
“As a result, there are some who demand a referendum, despite that option being discarded by the United Nations and the impossibility of implementing it,” the monarch said, recalling the dire conditions in the Tindouf camps, where the Polisario Front and its supporters are using the distressed Sahrawis in the camps as hostages in “deplorable, humiliating conditions and depriving them of the most basic rights.”
He also condemned Algeria‘s obsession with the Sahara dossier, describing it as a means for successive Algerian governments to deflect attention from their country’s internal crises.
The attacks in Mahbes were not the first of its kind by the separatist Polisario Front, which also launched a terrorist attack in the southern Morocco city of Es-Semara in October last year.
Explosions killed one victim and injured three others in that previous attack.
In response, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Omar Hilale, vowed that the country would take the necessary measures against anyone involved in the four explosions.
