Expert says Polisario’s past attacks meet international terrorism criteria

A Moroccan security analyst says decades of attacks carried out by the Polisario Front meet international criteria for classifying the group as a terrorist organization.

Hassan Ramo, an expert with the National Observatory for Strategic Studies, said the group’s actions since the 1970s align with standards used by the United Nations, the United States and several European countries, including France, Spain and Italy, to designate organizations as terrorist entities.

“These include violent acts of a terrorist nature, the use of explosives and heavy weapons, kidnappings, and the targeting of civilians,” Ramo told Hespress AR.

He pointed to incidents such as the abduction of Spanish and Italian nationals in Rabouni in 2011, as well as multiple kidnappings of Moroccans in areas outside the conflict zone, including Tata, Aqqa, Assa-Zag, Lbirat and even the Zagora province.

Ramo also highlighted attacks against civilians in Smara, Mahbes and Oued Eddahab, and at sea near Morocco and Spain’s Canary Islands, which left more than 281 Spanish and Portuguese fishermen dead. Other victims included foreign tourists and aid workers from the U.S., Italy and Spain.

The expert further cited documented ties between the Polisario and extremist groups in the Sahel, such as al-Qaida and the Islamic State, which led Mali in 2011 to directly accuse the Polisario of terrorism.

Some Polisario members, including Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, have gone on to hold senior positions in militant groups, Ramo said, adding that even child recruitment has been recorded, including during UN envoy Staffan de Mistura’s visit to the camps in 2022.

Ramo also pointed to rhetoric from Polisario leaders, such as a 2021 statement to The Economist by military chief Ouali Akeik threatening security, investment and foreign consulates in Moroccan Sahara cities.

According to Ramo, the group’s use of violence to achieve political and separatist goals mirrors the legal benchmarks many states use to classify terrorist organizations.

He argued that while European nations have adopted clear frameworks to protect their citizens and interests, countries in the Sahel and North Africa, including Mali, Mauritania and Libya, remain vulnerable to Polisario’s destabilizing activities.