Sumar urges Spain to summon Moroccan ambassador over death of Lahbib Mohamed Abdelaziz

Voices backing the Polisario Front continue to grow louder in Spain following the death of senior figure Lahbib Mohamed Abdelaziz. On Tuesday, the left-wing Sumar party, a member of Spain’s governing coalition, called on Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares to summon Morocco’s ambassador to Madrid, Karima Benyaich, and seek explanations over the incident.

Speaking at a press conference in the Spanish Congress of Deputies, Alberto Ibáñez, an MP from the Compromís party within the Sumar alliance, criticized the government’s lack of reaction. He argued that Madrid had been quick to condemn Polisario attacks on the city of Smara in May, yet had remained silent following the operation that killed three members of the Front.

According to Ibáñez, Spain’s continued silence amounts to «geopolitical complicity». He urged the government to respect the position of the parliamentary majority, which, he said, still believes Spain has a historical responsibility to complete the decolonization process in the Sahara.

The Polisario Front announced on Sunday that three of its fighters had been killed, including Lahbib Mohamed Abdelaziz. According to the movement, he died while «leading attacks against positions of the Moroccan occupation forces».

Podemos had already called on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to sever relations with Morocco following the death of the son of the former Polisario leader.