Moroccans take to the streets to protest against attacks by the Polisario Front
Morocco is once again attracting the attention of the international community after suffering new attacks by the Polisario Front. This new terrorist offensive targeted the town of Smara, killing one person and injuring several others. Up to three explosions took place which, according to the Polisario itself, caused "heavy losses in enemy positions and trenches". All this was a direct consequence of what was agreed in January at the Polisario Front Congress where they approved "intensifying the armed struggle".
🔴🇲🇦🇲🇦|| "الصحراء مغربية والجبهة إرهابية"
— Tarek Elkassmi - (بوغطاط المغربي) (@TarekElkassmi) November 5, 2023
هكذا يهتف الصحراويون الآن في وقفة حاشدة من قلب السمارة بالصحراء المغربية 🇲🇦🇲🇦🇲🇦 pic.twitter.com/boxei6QDXN
However, Moroccan society refuses to be lethargic and has taken to the streets to rise up against the umpteenth terrorist offensive. Hundreds of people took to the streets of the town of Laayoune with banners reading "Polisario, terrorist organisation", "The people are civilised and the Polisario wants to take the region into the unknown". Another of those displayed during the march expressed that "the inhabitants of Laayoune ask the international community to assume its responsibility to put an end to the terrorist group which holds our brothers and bombs our children".
Hamdi Ould Errachid, President of the Council of the region of Laayoune and Sakia El Hamra, one of the main promoters of the demonstration, assured in declarations to the EFE news agency that "the people have confidence in Morocco, in our security forces". And, above all, he wanted to make it clear that this protest wanted to "send a message to the Polisario and to Algeria that we are not afraid". For its part, the Moroccan Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation to clarify the facts, although, for the moment, the conclusions are not known.
الالاف من المغاربة الصحراويين يطالبون بتصنيف مرتزقة البوليساريو كتنظيم إرهابي pic.twitter.com/Rz46rxib2C
— 🇲🇦hicham bruxelles🇲🇦 (@hichambruxelle1) November 5, 2023
The latest attacks, reported by local media and confirmed by the EFE news agency, took place in the early hours of Sunday morning. They occurred precisely the night before the celebration of the anniversary of the Green March. This public holiday in Morocco commemorates the civilian march called by King Hassan II on 6 November 1975 over Western Sahara. It was then that Spanish forces left the territory, making way for Morocco's entry.
In the meantime, the plan for autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is gaining more and more supporters. This has led to growing solidarity with the Moroccan people in the international community, especially in the face of such attacks. Indeed, one of the concerns in the West is that there will be an escalation of tension leading to an escalation of violence in the Western Sahara region.
Given the current context, the risk of a new focus of conflict in North Africa is a cause for concern. If the war in Ukraine has already lost much of its focus to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the addition of a new conflict in the Sahara would destroy any semblance of stability in the region.
