Unprecedented U.S. military visit to Sahara east of the Sand Wall

This Monday, a U.S. military delegation from the American Embassy in Morocco embarked on a 24-hour visit to Laayoune. «On the ground, the team took a helicopter to reach MINURSO observation points located east of the Security Wall», a well-informed source disclosed to Yabiladi.

This remarkable visit coincides with MINURSO's intention to close three observation sites, two of which are situated east of the Sand Wall in an area the Polisario Front refers to as «liberated territories». The closure will also affect an observation post within the Sahara region controlled by the Royal Armed Forces (FAR).

Last August in Laayoune, an American military and diplomatic delegation, which included senior State Department officials overseeing UN peacekeeping missions globally, urged Alexander Ivanko, the head of MINURSO and a Russian national, to downsize the mission's personnel in Western Sahara.

The UN Security Council is gearing up to vote in the coming weeks on a new resolution to extend MINURSO's mandate in the region, either for one year or a few additional months.