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The Polisario Front swiftly issued a statement warning countries and companies against exploiting the natural resources of the Sahara, following the participation of Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita in a ministerial meeting on critical minerals held in Washington and chaired by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Without directly naming the United States, the Front accused Morocco of using the meeting to «involve third parties in activities that amount to exploiting stolen resources», as it put it.
The separatist movement claimed that Western Sahara holds «abundant and diverse natural resources, including, but not limited to, phosphates, iron ores, gold, uranium, vanadium, rare earth elements, and other strategic minerals», insisting that these resources are «the exclusive property of the Sahrawi people».
The Polisario further argued that any entity, company, or institution involved in the exploitation of natural resources in the Sahara «through Moroccan authorities does so without legal basis and in disregard of international law».
Echoing rhetoric it has previously directed, without success, at the European Union, the separatist movement reiterated its «openness and readiness to engage constructively with international partners, investors, and institutions interested in conducting business in Western Sahara».
It is worth noting that, on the sidelines of the meeting, Nasser Bourita signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States on cooperation in the field of strategic minerals and rare earth elements.
