UN: Situation in Western Sahara ‘remains tense’

The situation in the Western Sahara remains tense, the UN warned yesterday.

“The situation remains tense in the Guerguerat area of Western Sahara inside the buffer strip,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding that “any resumption of hostilities, with the potential to have wider regional implications, remains of significant concern to the UN.”

Tensions flared recently after Morocco began road construction in the area south of a buffer zone separating the two sides. This was met with resistance from Polisario Front fighters.

The UN is “actively engaging with the parties and key member states to urge restraint and identify options for an acceptable solution to the current crisis,” Dujarric said.

The Polisario Front’s UN representative, Ahmed Boukhari, said the situation “threatens the prospects of a peaceful solution to the conflict and poses a direct threat to the region’s stability and security.”