MOROCCO – Western Sahara: Polisario Front announces the end of the ceasefire following a Moroccan military operation – Violence possible

13 November, the Polisario Front, a pro-independence movement, announced the end of the ceasefire signed under the aegis of the UN in the disputed Western Sahara in 1991.

The announcement was made in reaction to a military operation launched by morocco in the Guerguerat buffer zone, near Mauritania, in the night of 12 to 13 November. According to the Moroccan authorities, the intervention is reportedly meant to « put a stop to the blockade » in the area, which the « Polisario and its militias » are believed to have entered 21 October and are said to have been « carrying out acts of banditry, blocking traffic and continually harassing MINURSO military observers », of the UN mediation force. Around 200 truck drivers are believed to have been blocked at the Guerguerat border crossing ever since.

As for the Polisario Front, it said that the operation was an « aggression » and warned of the « beginning of a new war ». Ibrahim Ghali, president of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and Polisario secretary general, has urged the UN to « intervene urgently ».

In view of the latest statements and the volatile nature of the situation, the possibility that the tension could escalate should be expected in the coming days. Violence should not be ruled out. Please monitor the development of the situation.