In Geneva, a conference held on the sidelines of the Human Rights Council accused the Polisario Front of violating international humanitarian law in the buffer zones, particularly following the attack targeting Smara. Speakers called for international investigations, while advocating a negotiated political solution in the face of growing risks of destabilization in the Sahel.
Staffan de Mistura’s regional tour and U.S. pressure on Algeria appear to be bearing fruit. The Polisario is launching a communications campaign aimed at preparing Sahrawis to accept negotiations on Morocco’s autonomy plan.
The cloak of silence that continues to surround the terrorist acts attributed to the Polisario in Spain remains largely intact, despite repeated attempts to bring the issue back into the public debate. The conference held on June 18 in Las Palmas, in Spain’s Canary Islands, offered another illustration of this reality. The event received extensive coverage from Morocco’s public media.