Analysis
The Polisario decreed a state of war with Morocco – young Sahrawis are ready
After the Moroccans broke the ceasefire, young Sahrawis are enlisting to break the stalemate occupation of their territories. For now, there have been no concrete initiatives by the UN or the African Union.
The President of the Saharawi Democratic Arab Republic (SDAR) and Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, officially declared a “the state of war.” They said the Kingdom of Morocco “violated the ceasefire agreement by attacking civilians peacefully demonstrating.”
After the Moroccan military operation last Friday in the El Guerguerat area, in flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreements, the Saharawi People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) counterattacked in several points of the border area, delimited by the sand wall that divides the territories illegally occupied by Morocco from those liberated by the SDAR.
Since the resumption of hostilities, there are no victims on either side so far, and the actions and bombardments of the SPLA are mainly aimed at “weakening the lines of defense and points of observation” erected in recent years by Morocco, as well as “weakening the morale of the troops of the Royal Armed Forces of Rabat.”
The news coming from the refugee camps in the Tindouf area (Algeria) tell of many young Sahrawis, tired of years of waiting and lack of prospects, ready to enlist in the ranks of the SPLA to liberate their land.
During these days, in the occupied territories, according to Saharawi against the Moroccan Occupation (ISACOM), fierce repression is ongoing against those who are showing solidarity and support to the SPLA, with “dozens of arrests and arbitrary violence.”
What remains concerning is the absence of decisive initiatives on the part of the United Nations or the African Union, which have expressed “deep concern about the deterioration of the situation in Western Sahara, in particular in the Guerguerat area, and the serious threats of breaking the ceasefire in force since 1991,” and which are suggesting to both sides in the conflict to “avoid any escalation in a context characterized by an extremely delicate health and geopolitical situation.”
The first tensions are being felt between Morocco and Algeria, precisely with regard to the situation in the area. In these days, the Algerian army has carried out numerous military exercises led by the Chief of Staff, Said Chengriha, who, in a statement on Algerie Patriotique accused Morocco of “violating the ceasefire” to the diplomatic support of some foreign powers, referring in particular to the Gulf monarchies that have aligned in support of Rabat.
“Algeria is the most powerful country in the region and in recent years has shown that it knows how to defeat French colonialism and the jihadist threat,” Chengriha said. “Our army is ready to defend its borders and national interests.”
Clarifying Ghali’s words about the conflict: “We have always carried out a non-violent struggle within international law that recognizes the Western Sahara as an occupied country and reaffirms our right to self-determination, as indicated by the Minurso mission. … The international community has the obligation to put an end to the violation of the peace agreements by Morocco and to show us a precise roadmap to reach the referendum in certain times. If this does not happen, we will continue to fight for the liberation of our occupied land, until victory.”
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/il-polisario-decreta-lo-stato-di-guerra-con-il-marocco/ on 2020-11-19