The United States, France and the European Union have condemned a May 5 rocket attack on Es-Smara claimed by the Polisario Front, marking the first time Western powers have publicly called out such strikes after years of staying quiet on similar incidents.
The U.S. mission to the United Nations said the attack “threatens regional stability” and urged all sides to return to talks under the UN-led political process on Moroccan Sahara. It also reaffirmed support for Morocco’s autonomy plan, which has been backed under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797.
Analysts say the U.S. reaction shows a clear shift in how Washington is dealing with the Moroccan Sahara issue. Instead of just calling for calm, the United States is now openly linking the Polisario Front’s actions to risks for the political process and regional stability.
They also say this tougher tone suggests growing belief in international policy circles that the current situation cannot continue as it is.
France’s UN mission issued a similar statement, saying the rocket fire risked undermining renewed negotiations under the same resolution. It also called on the Polisario Front to respect the ceasefire and follow existing UN decisions meant to guide a political solution.
EU Ambassador to Morocco Dimiter Tzantchev also spoke out on X, saying: “The recent attack on Smara should be condemned. Now is not the time for escalation, but for negotiation, as per UNSC Res. 2797 (2025), taking as a basis Morocco’s Autonomy Plan with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution consistent with the UN Charter.”
The May 5 attack injured at least one woman. According to local reports, two projectiles landed near the city’s prison and a third fell behind the cemetery. The Polisario Front claimed responsibility.
The public condemnation stands out because similar incidents in the past drew little to no reaction from Washington, Paris or Brussels.
In October 2023, rockets struck Es-Smara, killing one person and injuring three others in residential areas. No Western government issued a formal statement at the time, even as the Polisario claimed the attack.
Earlier incidents also went largely unaddressed. In May 2020, a rocket attempt failed and caused no damage. In June 2025, shells again landed in the city without casualties.
Despite repeated calls from Sahrawi civil society groups urging UN action, Western capitals remained silent.
This shift comes in the context of changing diplomatic conditions. France recognized Moroccan sovereignty over its Sahara in 2024, and the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2797 in 2025, backing renewed negotiations based on Morocco’s autonomy plan.
At the same time, Western governments have become increasingly wary of regional alignments involving Algeria and South Africa, both of which support the Polisario Front.
It is high time to designate the Polisario militias as a terrorist organization par excellence, given their acts of terrorism in northern Mali, their violation of Mauritanian territory, and their launching of missiles to terrorize peaceful Sahrawi Moroccan citizens in the Moroccan city of Smara.
The Algerian regime controls the movements of the Polisario militias. This separatist terrorist organization could not have carried out its actions without the permission and green light of the Algerian military regime.
The entire world sees, hears, and condemns the missile attack on civilians in the Moroccan city of Smara, in our western Atlantic Sahara.
The Moroccan people are preparing to demand the return of the occupied Eastern Sahara, with its territories from Béchar to Tidikelt, Touat, Tikourarrine, Saoura, and Tindouf, to the sovereignty of the Kingdom, which possesses the historical and legal right to it.