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The Polisario Front said it does not consider negotiations with Morocco to be closed, despite the killing of one of its senior figures, Lahbib Mohamed Abdelaziz, who was widely seen as a potential successor to Brahim Ghali at the head of the movement.
Abdullah al-Arabi, the movement’s representative in Spain, told El País that «the Polisario Front is accustomed to dialogue in all possible contexts».
A few days earlier, the Polisario Front had announced that Lahbib Abdelaziz and two of his companions were killed while attempting to shell areas west of the sand berm from the buffer zones, after being targeted by a drone strike.
Al-Arabi said that «the prominent role played by the late Lahbib Mohamed Abdelaziz in the generational transition within the Sahrawi Liberation Army cannot be denied, as he was one of the most notable figures in the military field». He added that «the attack was carried out by a high-precision drone during a withdrawal phase, as part of a routine military operation, within a series of repeated operations since the escalation of confrontations over the past six years».
Although the Polisario has repeatedly stated that it will not return to the ceasefire agreement from which it unilaterally withdrew, and that its «war» against Morocco is continuing, al-Arabi argued that «the severity of these attacks, which is increasing as the war continues, clearly calls into question Morocco’s genuine willingness to reach a peaceful solution that respects the rights of the Sahrawi people».
Al-Arabi also used the killing of the militia commander to criticize the Spanish government, denouncing what he described as «a double standard in current foreign policy». He added that Spain «only investigates and condemns when events are attributed to one side, while silence prevails when the victims are Sahrawis».
