Polisario commander, Western Sahara fighters killed in drone strike

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Sep 2023 22:21
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The Polisario Front continues to call for a UN-supervised referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara, as agreed in the 1991 ceasefire agreement, but this has not yet happened.

Polisario front soldiers talk during a shooting exercise near Mehaires, Western Sahara, October 13, 2021. (AP)

The official Saharawi news agency SPS reported on Saturday that a Polisario Front commander and three Sahrawi fighters were killed in Western Sahara on Friday, while a US delegation was visiting the region.

The Western Sahara conflict began in 1975, when Spain withdrew from the territory, leaving it disputed between Morocco and the Polisario Front, a Sahrawi nationalist movement that seeks independence for the region.

"The head of the sixth military region, Abba Ali Hamudi, a member of the Polisario national secretariat, fell on the field of honor with three other fighters," announced the Polisario agency.

The Sahrawi presidency has announced that three days of national mourning will begin on Saturday.

According to the Saharan information site Ecsaharaui, the Moroccan air force reportedly used two Israeli-made drones in response to fighting in the Mahbes region.

There was no response from the Moroccan side.

According to SPS, a US delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State for North Africa Joshua Harris visited Sahrawi territory on Friday, as part of efforts to revitalize the UN-backed peace process in Western Sahara.

In April 2021, a Sahrawi military leader, the commander of the gendarmerie Addah Al-Bendir, was killed in a similar drone strike in Tifariti, a northern region controlled by the Polisario Front.

Morocco controls about 80% of Western Sahara, which it considers its own sovereign territory. The region is rich in phosphates and fisheries.

The Polisario Front continues to call for a UN-supervised referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara, as agreed in the 1991 ceasefire agreement, but this has not yet happened.

After nearly 30 years, the ceasefire in Western Sahara broke down in November 2020. Morocco sent troops to the far south of the territory to disperse Sahrawi protesters who were blocking the only road to Mauritania and the rest of Africa. The Polisario Front claims that the road was built after 1991, in violation of the ceasefire agreement.

In the last three years, the Sahrawi people have reported frequent clashes with Moroccan forces. They have often claimed to have inflicted casualties on the Moroccan side, but these claims have never been confirmed by Morocco.

It is worth noting that In 2014, Morocco signed a $50 million deal for three IAI Heron UAVs from the Israel Aerospace Industries. The drones entered service in the Moroccan army several years ago and were reportedly intended for use against the Polisario Front.

Later on, in November 2021, the Israeli occupation sold an IAI Harop UAV to Morocco. Contrary to all the other unmanned aerial vehicles developed to return to base, the Harop is a loitering munition that self-destructs into its targets.

The sale followed a joint security understanding agreement between Israeli Security Minister Benny Gantz and Moroccan Defense Minister Abd Al-Latif Lodi. The agreement formalized security ties between "Tel Aviv" and Rabat.