Polisario vows to return to 'armed resistance' in response to Moroccan King's speech

The Polisario Front yesterday threatened to “return to the armed struggle” against Morocco, in reaction to the Moroccan King Mohammed VI’s statement that the Western Sahara will remain under his sovereignty.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Polisario Front separatist movement, Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, issued a statement in Algeria which confirmed: “The Polisario Front’s commitment to peaceful resolution to this issue despite the Sahrawi pressure to return to armed resistance in the struggle for freedom and independence.

“In the event that international community and Morocco fail to comply with international regulations and legitimate resolutions, the Saharawi people will have no option but to return to armed struggle,” Salek confirmed.

King Mohammed VI warned on Thursday that the Western Sahara will remain under Moroccan sovereignty “until God inherits the earth and everything within it”, stressing that “the autonomy initiative is the most that Morocco can provide” to resolve this conflict.

For his part, Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra said, during a celebration of World Day at the United Nations: “Our region [the Maghreb] is in dire need for the decolonisation of the Western Sahara, which ultimately remains the responsibility of the United Nation.”

Morocco views its Algerian neighbour as “the main party responsible for this conflict” and asserts that it cannot be solved without Algeria claiming responsibility. The border between Algeria and Morocco has been closed due to disagreements on this conflict since 1992.