Projectiles Strike Near UN Base in Moroccan Sahara, Polisario Suspected

The impact was recorded in an uninhabited area, near a barracks of the United Nations Mission for the Organization of a Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). No injuries or damage were reported. Videos and photos shared on social media show what appear to be the remains of the scattered projectiles in the area.

The Polisario is suspected of being behind this new attack. For the moment, the information has not been confirmed by any official Moroccan source. The United Nations Mission for the Organization of a Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) has also not reacted to this attack.

This incident recalls a similar event that occurred in October 2023. The Polisario Front had fired projectiles on the city of Smara, killing one - a Moroccan residing abroad - and injuring three. The explosions had hit residential and industrial areas of the city. The Moroccan authorities had then indicated that the injured had been taken care of by the emergency services and that the material damage was limited to two dwellings.

This new attack comes at a time when the US Congress is examining a bipartisan bill aimed at classifying the Polisario as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). A possible adoption of this text, carried by Republican Senator Joe Wilson and supported by Democrat Jimmy Panetta, could reshape the way the United States and other allies deal with the independence movement.