Elected Officials of Moroccan Sahara 'Highly Commend' FAR Operation in Guergarate

The Association of Elected Officials of Sakia El Hamra and Oued Eddahab (ASESARIO) “highly commended” the operation conducted by the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), Friday morning, in the buffer zone of Guergarate, in order to “defend the constants of the Nation, foremost among which is the territorial integrity of the Kingdom.”

This operation has put an end, in a peaceful manner, without clashes or threat to the safety of civilians, to “the illegal situation that the militias of +polisario+ have tried to impose in the crossing of Guergarate” and restore free commercial and civil movement in this area linking Morocco to Mauritania, the elected officials of the Moroccan Sahara said in a statement.

As legitimate representatives of the inhabitants of the southern provinces, the elected officials expressed “total and unconditional support for the wise decisions of HM King Mohammed VI, and resolve to mobilize for the defense of the Kingdom’s territorial integrity”.

The ASESARIO members also voiced “their high esteem and gratitude” towards the elements of the FAR “for their immense sacrifices” to defend Morocco’s territorial integrity under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of the FAR.

They also called on the international community to assume its responsibility in this “critical juncture” that the region is going through to put an end to the provocations of the “polisario” and of “those who manipulate it” in order to undermine the stability and security of the region.

“We hold the ‘polisario’ fully responsible for what would happen to the situation because of its unpredictable and miscalculated actions and its persistence in violating the cease-fire agreement” in defiance of the warnings issued by the international community and the United Nations, the statement added.

Condemning these repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement by the “polisario”, the elected officials of the Moroccan Sahara warned that these provocations by the separatist militias “could lead the region into a spiral of instability with unforeseeable consequences.”

The separatists have blocked civil and commercial traffic and increased provocations for weeks in Guergarate, “a situation that the Kingdom of Morocco has treated with great restraint and a high sense of responsibility” and in full respect of international legality, the statement noted.

With unwavering determination, members of the ASESARIO reiterated their “full engagement in defending the territorial integrity of the Kingdom, whatever the cost.”