Morocco's Makhzen Plans To Open A Road Across Western Sahara Territories

Polisario Front asked the UN Security Council to intervene rapidly to prevent Morocco from opening a road that runs through the Western Sahara territories, condemning the United Nations’ evasion of its previous commitments regarding this project, especially as it pours out of the cease-fire agreements that were signed in 1991.

Polisario Front considers that United Nations’ evasion of the previous commitments for this project, is keeping silence for many excesses of the Moroccan Makhzen, which is looking for a green light to impose the opening of this road as a fait accompli.

A letter that was addressed by the Polisario representative to the United Nations, Ahmed Boukhari, to the President of the Security Council before a meeting on the Western Sahara crisis, the Polisario Front expressed its “astonishment” of the United Nations’ position that “ignored its previous resolutions” regarding this project.

Same letter explained, according to the Sahrawi news agency, that the United Nations that opposed in 2001 and 2002, the construction of this road on the grounds that it constitutes a violation of the ceasefire agreement, ‘is currently accepting it under the pressure of Morocco.

“Any change of the existing facts on the ground and which are resulting from the cease-fire agreements, must inevitably be subject to approval by the parties to the conflict, which are the Polisario Front and Morocco. Polisario Front reaffirms its commitment to the terms of the cease-fire agreement (September 6, 1991), and can not accept the construction of this road neither by Morocco nor by a third party, and this will remain a direct result of breaching the agreement”.

Boukhari also confirmed that the Polisario Front deployed special forces, 2 km away from this project “to prevent violations of the cease-fire without punishment”, as this decision was transmitted to the deputy commander of the military forces of MINURSO.

“Security Council should take its responsibility in helping to restore the situation, which prevailed before last August, 11, and in this case, “Polisario Front will withdraw its troops that are deployed since August, 28 in the region to confirm and in a transparent manner, its desire for peace and cooperation with the United Nations’ efforts to reach a peaceful, fair and sustainable solution to the conflict”.

For reference, Morocco claimed as usual, that the construction of this project aims to combat all forms of smuggling, while the letter of the Polisario representative explained that Morocco worked for years to flood the area with drugs, as it is the largest world’s producer of cannabis, asserting that, on the contrary, the opening of this road will increase the spread of this phenomenon by providing a route for smugglers to pass their smuggled goods.