According to him, the acts of destabilization by the Polisario Front are aimed at drawing attention "through fear and threats."
The unrest following the Polisario Front’s escalation is of great concern to the United States because the terrorists that threaten our country as well as our allies thrive in lawlessness. The conflict is a security threat because the Polisario Front is not a credible actor to promote security and stability in the region.”
"The UN and international community must hold Algeria responsible for the key role that it has played from the beginning" in this conflict, he pointed out.
- The UN Chief and the Security council repeatedly called the polisario not to obstruct regular civil and commercial traffic in the buffer zone of Guergeurat. How do you explain the perverse attitude of polisario to try to change the status-quo? Why is this escalation taking place now?
“The Polisario Front is defying the longstanding calls from the UNSG and the UNSC because they want attention through fear and threats. This escalation hurts desperately needed commerce between communities in the Sahara provinces and Mauritania and other sub-Saharan African countries. This escalation by the Polisario may have a new face, but it’s the same old intransigence we’ve seen for decades. The Polisario thrives on conflict, threats, and instability -- without that, the Polisario has no reason to exist. They want the international community to focus on the Sahara because of their escalation and threats -- not because they actually have a peaceful, sustainable, and workable solution for the Sahrawis who are caught in the middle.”
- In its last resolution, the UN Security council has called for the resumption of the political dialogue with Algeria as a key player to resolve this conflict. How do you see the role of Algiers going forward given the fact that the UN also calls for realism and the spirit of compromise?
“It is abundantly clear that Algeria is not an innocent bystander in this decades-old conflict -- Algeria is at the center. Without Algeria, the Polisario wouldn’t be a viable movement and there would be no conflict. The UN and international community must hold Algeria responsible for the key role that it has played from the beginning and the positive role towards resolution of the conflict that Algeria could play -- if it wanted to.”
- The rising unrest in the Sahel spells the urgent need to resolve this long-standing dispute. The U.S. routinely emphasizes the role of transnational terrorist groups, such as al Qaeda and the Islamic State, in triggering the security crisis in this part of Africa. To what extent can this volatile situation created by the Polisario undermine the efforts to bring peace and stability to this region?
“The unrest following the Polisario Front’s escalation is of great concern to the United States because the terrorists that threaten our country as well as our allies thrive in lawlessness. The conflict is a security threat because the Polisario Front is not a credible actor to promote security and stability in the region.”