Morocco Vows Measured Response to Polisario Attacks on Smara

Responding to deputies’ questions about the attacks on Smara, Bourita recalled that Morocco had "firmly condemned" this act and complained about it to the United Nations. The Moroccan Foreign Minister said that the kingdom "will determine when and how it will respond to the terrorist attacks against the city of Smara," assuring that it is "not in the escalation" and will act "with wisdom and determination".

To recall, the city of Smara has already been the target of three attacks. The first, which took place on October 28, left one dead and three injured. The second, which occurred in the early hours of November 5, did not cause any casualties. It was two rockets launched from the Tifariti buffer zone, one of which fell near the MINURSO observation site and the other near the city’s airport. The third, carried out on November 11, was thwarted by the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) thanks to their drones, reports Hespress.

On October 30, the UN Security Council extended the MINURSO mandate for one year. On this occasion, Morocco’s permanent representative to the UN, Omar Hilale, attributed these attacks to the Polisario. The separatist movement later claimed responsibility for these attacks, however, trying to deny having targeted civilians.