Jefe de Gobierno marroquí confirma que las maniobras con Estados Unidos incluyen el Sáhara
The President of the Moroccan government, Saad-Edin L. Othmani, said that part of the military manoeuvres between his country and the United States, known as "African Lion 2021" and one of the most important on the African continent, will take place "for the first time in Western Sahara" from June 7.
El Othmani pointed out in a tweet that part of these exercises is taking place “near the Mahabs and Dakhla in the Moroccan Sahara", very close to the border with Algeria, and also in the Saharawi town of Dakhla.
For L. Othmani, “this is the major achievement of American recognition of Sahara’s Moroccan character,” he insisted.
Al Othmani’s declaration is significant because it is the first gesture by the new US administration that ratifies the announcement of previous President Donald Trump (2017-2021), recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara after months of silence in this regard.
When consulted by the US Embassy in Rabat, a spokesperson simply stated that the organisers of African Lion 2021 "ultimately decided to use the sites proposed at the beginning of the planning", referring to the plan proposed by the Royal Armed Forces, which had originally proposed that the territory of the Sahara be included on this occasion.
El Othmani did not give details on the type of activities to be organised in the area near Dakhla or in Mahbés, a locality adjacent to the Moroccan defence wall and barely 80 kilometres from the Tindouf camps, in Algerian territory and controlled by the Polisario Front.
Last November, the Polisario broke the 1991 ceasefire and declared war on Rabat.
US organizers previously announced that the African Lion maneuvers would be staged between June 7-18 between Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia. with the participation of nearly 4,000 United States soldiers, in addition to nearly 5,000 troops from the Moroccan Army, and other soldiers from Tunisia, Senegal, Italy, the United Kingdom, among others, along with observers from twelve countries.
Spanish outlet El Pais reported yesterday that Spain, which has been a frontbencher in the joint military exercise in recent years, is withdrawing from this year’s iteration of the African Lion maneuvers over its principled rejection of Morocco’s stance on the status of Western Sahara.
El País's information was widely picked up by the Moroccan media and debated in forums on social networks, but did not merit a response from the Spanish or Moroccan governments.
The Far-Maroc forum, a Facebook page considered close to military authorities, considered that Spain’s non-participation in these maneuvers “indicates Spain’s desire to expand the circle of crisis and attack the supreme interests of Morocco in the Sahara. “
He described Spain’s attitude as “reckless actions that are going to create a dilemma whose price will be paid by ordinary Spanish citizens, as happened during the Perejil crisis (in 2002).”
