Marruecos rechaza la guerra mediática del Frente Polisario

The Moroccan Prime Minister, Saad Eddine el-Othmani, has come out to denounce what he called a "defamation campaign" by the Polisario Front. And he did so in a forceful manner: "it is another sign that the Polisario Front wants to make people believe in imaginary victories".  

Moreover, according to several media reports, the only possibility of attacking Akka is from Algerian territory, which, if true, could have caused a serious diplomatic situation between Morocco and Algeria. However, as on other occasions, it has not been possible to corroborate the information provided by the Saharawi agency.

The Polisario Front, the movement that continues to support a referendum of self-determination for Western Sahara from Algeria, sees the chances of this happening as increasingly slim. The movement remains temporarily and diplomatically anchored in a bygone era, while the Sahara has achieved palpable development with Morocco's support, attracting foreign investment in sectors such as renewable energy and tourism.

Because of this situation, the Polisario Front has engaged in a media campaign to draw the attention of part of the international community to a struggle that is no longer on the ground, but ideological, and is therefore full of defamation and fake news. The latest of these, just this week, reported the death of three Moroccan soldiers in an attack on a Moroccan garrison in the Akka region. 

The Polisario Front routinely announces actions against the Moroccan armed forces to fan the flames of a struggle that has dwindling support. The US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara, along with the promise of an investment of over three billion dollars in the region, has dealt a huge blow to the Polisario's claims.

Shortly before Washington's recognition, the Polisario staged one of the last moments of real tension with Morocco by blocking the crossing between the Sahara and Mauritania. Polisario members occupied the only road connecting Morocco to West Africa, at the Guerguerat pass, forcing Rabat to send in armed forces to break the blockade and reopen the road, which is an important trade route.

The Polisario Front then announced the breaking of the ceasefire with Morocco, which has been in force for decades, specifically since 1991, in a clear attempt to violate the situation and provoke a Moroccan reaction that would bring the dispute over Saharan territory back to the forefront of public debate in the countries with interests in the region.

Morocco has adopted a more appeasing communication strategy, as it does not usually respond to the campaigns coming from the Polisario and its Algerian-backed media. Rabat believes that the Sahara's development indices speak for themselves. Moreover, it has on its side the significant diplomatic support of much of the Arab world, which has begun to establish a diplomatic presence in the region, and to promote investment in infrastructure and other sectors with potential in the region. 

Because of this strategy, and the fact that this time the Polisario Front has claimed the deaths of three Moroccan military personnel, the prime minister has been forced to respond. However, the fact that this was done through a simple message on Twitter shows that only one party wants to keep the conflict alive, and that is not Morocco.