The Polisario Front, which claims to represent the Sahrawi populations in the open-air prison of Tindouf, is multiplying attacks against Morocco, according to Sahara Press Service, a propaganda outlet run by the Algerian military regime.
The Polisario’s criminal actions, often carried out against civilian nomads and military surveillance posts along the borders with Algeria, place it on the same level as the worst internationally designated terrorist organizations, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), and the Islamic State in Africa.
The use of drones and two secret Iranian bases in Algeria, homemade rocket fire, ambushes targeting commercial convoys, as well as threats against local populations: all these methods mirror the terrorist tactics employed by radical groups in the Middle East and the Sahel.
Several security reports indicate that the Polisario maintains growing ties with terrorist organizations operating in the Sahel, arms traffickers, and international drug trafficking networks.
This overlap between separatism, terrorism, and transnational crime poses a direct threat not only to Morocco, but also to Africa and Europe.
“Faced with this reality, the question arises: how long will Algeria and its military regime continue to treat the Polisario as a separatist movement? The Polisario’s methods, radicalized discourse, and dubious alliances fit the very definition of terrorism,” according to international experts.
This is why several countries, foremost among them the United States, which have recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara, are advocating for the Polisario Front to be included on the official list of terrorist organizations.
Such a decision would allow for the adoption of firmer measures, cut off its funding sources from the Algerian treasury, and put an end to the political ambiguity from which it benefits.