Polisario Issues Warning Over Upcoming Sahara Auto Rally

The 16th edition of the Africa Eco Race automobile rally in the Sahara should start on December 29. On the program, five stages in the southern provinces of Morocco, including an itinerary connecting Laâyoune to Dakhla. The participants will enjoy a rest day in Dakhla on January 5 before reaching Mauritania. While we are still a few days away from the start of the competition, the Polisario has clearly indicated that it does not want the rally in the Sahara and threatens the participants.

"The participants will be responsible for the consequences that may result from their entry and crossing into the Sahrawi national territory," said the separatist movement in a statement. The Polisario considers the Sahrawi national territory as "a war zone" due to what it describes as "the violation of the ceasefire by Morocco on November 13, 2020". "The ’Sahrawi Republic’ reserves the legitimate right to respond firmly to any action aimed at undermining its sovereignty and territorial integrity," adds the same source.

The Polisario goes further by asking "all the countries of the world and the public and private sectors" to "refrain from carrying out any activity of any kind whatsoever on the Sahrawi national territory".

This is not the first time that the Polisario has threatened the organizers and participants of the Africa Eco Race rally. In a statement dated November 30, 2023, it had warned them against crossing "the territory of the [self-proclaimed] Sahrawi Republic, including its land, maritime and airspaces". But these threats have proven ineffective, as the rally successfully crossed El Guerguerate on January 8, 2024, without incident.