Moroccan drones prevent a new attack by the Polisario Front on Smara

Morocco continues to armour itself against the constant attacks of the Polisario Front. If last week it had managed to reach targets in the Smara region, this time the rapid intervention of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces foiled a new attack. Three vehicles of the police militia managed to enter clandestinely across the Mauritanian border into a region near Tifariti.

According to FAR sources consulted by the Yabiladi media, the aim of these vehicles was to "launch projectiles against targets located in Smara". Although the results of the Moroccan drones are not yet known, their rapid detection of the threat prevented what would have been the third attack by the Polisario Front on the same region in less than a month. On 28 October and 5 November, the Polisario had already launched missiles at civilian targets in Smara, including an office of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).

These offensives led Morocco to draw Mauritania's attention to the passage of these militias into its territory. An Alawite delegation, led by the inspector general of the Royal Armed Forces and commander of the Southern Zone, went to visit its Mauritanian neighbour. Morocco wants to prevent Polisario Front factions from crossing the border and threatening Moroccan civilians, as they have been doing frequently in recent weeks.

Moroccan society has not remained silent in the face of this wave of Polisario-driven violence. Last week, after the latest attack on Smara, hundreds of Moroccan citizens crowded the streets of Laayoune with "Polisario, terrorist organisation" placards. They also demonstrated calling on "the international community to assume its responsibility to put an end to the terrorist group that is holding our brothers and bombing our children".

These protests put on notice an international community that is increasingly leaning towards the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty. And now the US company Ondas - which specialises in drones - is to set up shop in Morocco thanks to the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Morocco's Maghrebnet, which aims to provide advanced drone infrastructure and industrial and strategic facilities.

This is another step forward in strengthening Morocco's image as one of the most important partners in North Africa. "Morocco, with its technological leadership, is a strategic market in full growth, especially in the aerospace sector," said Eric Brock, CEO of Ondas, after signing the agreement. On the other hand, the Moroccan company sees this partnership as a unique opportunity to expand its security-related services, an increasingly important aspect in view of the Polisario attacks of the last month.