Briefing reporters in New York today (7 May) Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric said : “the Personal Envoy of the Secretary General for Western Sahara, Staffan De Mistura, supports and shares the concerns expressed by MINURSO, the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Western Sahara, concerning the Frente POLISARIO’s rocket attack of 5 May near Smara. MINURSO expressed deep concern over incidents of firing in civilian areas and urged the parties to avoid any act that may jeopardize the ongoing political process. The Personal Envoy, Mr. De Mistura, emphasizes that this is a time for dialogue and negotiations, not a time for military escalation.”
« Such attacks underscore the urgent need to return to a ceasefire and negotiate a lasting, mutually acceptable political solution to this conflict,” a UN spokesperson said about the Front Polisario rocket attack on May 5th near Smara, Western Sahara.
The European Union condemns the attack by the Polisario Front in Western Sahara and calls for negotiations
(EuroEFE) – The ambassador of the European Union to Morocco, Dimiter Tzantchev, condemned on Friday the recent attack, claimed by the Polisario Front, in Esmara, in Western Sahara, and called for negotiation rather than escalation.
In a message published on the social network X, Tzantchev urged that Morocco’s autonomy plan be used as the basis, in line with the latest United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797, to achieve “a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable solution, in accordance with the United Nations Charter.”
The European diplomat stressed that “now is not the time for escalation, but for negotiation,” referring to the incident in the Sahrawi city.
At least three projectiles struck the outskirts of Esmara last Tuesday. The city is located in the northern part of Western Sahara, and the attack caused no human casualties or material damage.
The Polisario Front claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they were carried out by units of the “Sahrawi People’s Liberation Army” against “rear bases of the occupation army in the Esmara sector.”
Political solution
The missions of the United States and France to the United Nations also condemned the Polisario attacks, agreeing that the violence threatens regional stability and progress made toward peace.
Since the collapse of the 1991 ceasefire by the Polisario Front in 2020, sporadic attacks have been recorded in the so-called “buffer zone” of Western Sahara. This area stretches several kilometers on both sides of the territory’s borders with Algeria and Mauritania, in what has been described as low-intensity hostilities.
The conflict took a new turn last October with the latest resolution of the United Nations Security Council, which strengthens the Moroccan autonomy proposal as the “most viable” basis for a political solution. This comes in a context where Rabat’s initiative has gained growing international support, including backing from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the European Union.
Washington has taken an active role in recent months and has promoted two rounds of confidential negotiations involving Morocco, Algeria, the Polisario Front, and Mauritania in an effort to move toward an agreement.
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