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Rabat — On Saturday, Polisario launched a missile attack on the town of Mahbes in southern Morocco, disrupting a civilian ceremony commemorating the 49th anniversary of the Green March.
Despite the shocking attack by the separatist group, Moroccan civilians remained undeterred and continued the ceremony, chanting “Long live the King” and “Sahara is Moroccan.”
Converging reports said that Polisario launched four projectiles that fell not far from tents set up by locals celebrating the Green March event.
No casualties have been reported.
The reports said Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces responded to the attack with a drone and neutralized the threats.
The separatist group claimed responsibility for the heinous attack shortly after.
As the Polisario was sending missiles, local authorities signed four partnership agreements to promote the socio-economic situation in the region on the sidelines of the ceremony’s opening session.
One of the agreements covers the establishment of a traditional crafts space and vocational training center in the arts of craftsmanship.
Another agreement will support the operation of the Specialized Institute of Traditional Crafts in Guelmim while another deal is dedicated to funding and implementing development projects across the communes in Assa-Zag province.
The agreements are part of Morocco’s development plan for southern provinces in Western Sahara.
King Mohammed VI has been reiterating Morocco’s commitment to continue to develop the region with projects seeking to benefit locals at all levels.
“The sacrifices made by the generation of the Green March inspire and prompt us to be more vigilant and to show greater mobilization. The purpose is to enhance the gains made in the recognition of the Sahara as a Moroccan territory, and to continue promoting the development and progress witnessed in our southern provinces,” the King said in his recent Green March commemoration speech on November 6.
The attacks on Mahbes came after King Mohammed VI’s historic speech, which called on the UN to assume responsibility and deal with Algeria’s outdated narrative on Western Sahara.
“Now is the time for the United Nations to assume its responsibility and spell out the major difference between the real, legitimate world… and a world which is frozen in time,” the monarch said.
The King also slammed Algeria which has been clinging to outdated views, saying they are “are stuck in the past narratives” as they continue to oppose Morocco’s sovereignty.
Algeria continues to support the separatist Polisario Front and its hostile vision of creating an independent state in southern Morocco.
Despite its central role in the dispute, Algeria presents itself as an observer rather than a main party, disrupting and hampering the UN-led political process to end the dispute.
The Polisario’s attacks in Mahbes reflect the separatist group’s frustration as Morocco’s position has been gaining momentum– with many countries joining the chorus of supporting its Autonomy Plan as the only viable solution to end the dispute.
