The UN Secretary-General «concerned» about the situation in Guerguerate

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed, Wednesday, his concern regarding the situation in the Guerguerate border crossing.

In a phone call with the Mauritanian Foreign Minister Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, Guterres asked the country to «play its positive role recognized by all parties to resolve this crisis», the Mauritanian news agency (AMI) reported on Thursday.

The phone call focused on «the tense situation in Guerguerate» and the two parties spoke of «the status quo and the fear that this could lead to unforeseen acts of violence», the same source added.

The UN Secretary-General also informed the Mauritanian diplomat of «all the contacts he had made over the past two days in order to avoid any worsening of the situation on the ground, but he did not hide his concerns about the gravity of the situation», the agency concluded.

For nearly three weeks, members of the Polisario Front have been blocking the Guerguerate border crossing, which they describe as «illegal» and call for its «closure». A series of protests have taken place near the posts of the Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR) at the Sand Wall.

For the record, the Polisario Front and its «army» have been on alert since the beginning of this week following what the separatist movement considers «mobilization» of the Moroccan army in the Sahara.