Maghreb Edition

Western Sahara: US’ Africom says no drills will take place in disputed Western SaharaF

Posted On 2 June 2021

Number of times this article was read : 448

The US military on Tuesday denied a tweet by Morocco’s prime minister that US-led African military exercises this month would take place in the disputed region of Western Sahara. Prime Minister Saad-Eddine El Othmani said last week on Twitter that the training “marks the consecration of American recognition of the Moroccan Sahara”.  His tweet has now been removed. The US African Command (Africom), which will lead the nine-nation, 7,000-participant exercises, said in a statement that they are limited to the territory of Morocco.

“Exercise locations are spread mainly across Morocco, from Kenitra Air Base in the north to Tan Tan and Guerir Labouhi training complex in the south,” the statement said. Africom said that US and Moroccan planners decided “to use the sites proposed at the beginning of the planning cycle in summer of 2020” — months before then US president Donald Trump’s December 2020 announcement recognizing Morocco’s possession of Western Sahara.

Last year, after Rabat normalised relations with Israel, Trump recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, sparking an angry response from the separatist Polisario Front, which denies Morocco’s claim to the territory. Morocco laid claim to the former Spanish colony with rich phosphate resources and offshore fisheries after Spain withdrew in 1975.

‘Completely false rumour’

The Polisario Front took up arms to demand independence, proclaiming the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in 1976 and fighting a 16-year war with Morocco. Morocco now controls 80 percent of the territory, while the rest is run by the Polisario Front. Rabat has offered Western Sahara autonomy, but maintains that the territory is a sovereign part of the kingdom.

Othmani had said in his tweet that the exercises would take place at two sites in Western Sahara, including the eastern Mahbes region, where Polisario regularly claim conflict in recent months, and Dakhla, where Rabat plans to develop a large Atlantic port.

Sahrawi foreign minister Mohamed Salem Ould Salek dismissed the original tweet as a “completely false rumour”. “There will be no joint manoeuvrers in Western Sahara as part of ‘African Lion 2021’ in which US forces will participate,” Salek told AFP. “They will take place in the south of Moroccan territory, and within the internationally recognised borders of Morocco.”

Spain is understood not to be taking part in the exercises. Madrid has angered Rabat after Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali was treated in a Spanish hospital for Covid-19 in April. Last month, Spain was caught off guard when as many as 10,000 people surged into its tiny North African enclave of Ceuta as Moroccan border guards looked the other way, in what was widely seen as a punitive political gesture.

AFP

Subscribe to Urgent Notifications and Newsletter

Most Recent Stories from the Region

Gulf War Escalates as Energy Markets Reel and Regional Fronts Multiply$

The war involving Iran, Israel, and the United States is expanding across the Middle East, with growing consequences for global energy markets and regional security. Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure have pushed oil prices higher and raised concerns about supply stability. As missile exchanges intensify and fighting spreads to Lebanon, world leaders are scrambling to assess the economic fallout and prevent further escalation.

West Africa: Jihadist Attacks Intensify in Northern Benin Amid Cross-Border Insurgency Pressure$

Jihadist attacks in northern Benin have intensified in recent weeks, with militants linked to JNIM claiming a deadly assault on a military position near the Niger border and carrying out additional raids on security posts along the country’s volatile frontiers with Burkina Faso and Nigeria. The violence underscores how northern Benin has become part of a wider cross-border insurgency spilling south from the central Sahel, even as authorities bolster Operation Mirador and try to prevent armed groups from entrenching themselves on Beninese soil.

Desert Locusts Stir Fresh Worries in North-West Africa$

Small desert locust swarms recently detected along the western Sahara corridor have prompted stepped-up monitoring across parts of North and West Africa, where shifting rainfall can quickly turn quiet desert areas into launchpads for wider infestations.

Written by The North Africa Journal

The North Africa Journal is a leading English-language publication focused on North Africa. The Journal covers primarily the Maghreb region and expands its general coverage to the Sahel, Egypt, and beyond, when events in those regions affect the broader North Africa geography. The Journal does not have any affiliation with any institution and has been independent since its founding in 1996. Our position is to always bring our best analysis of events affecting the region, and remain as neutral as humanly possible. Our coverage is not limited to one single topic, but ranges from economic and political affairs, to security, defense, social and environmental issues. We rely on our full staff analysts and editors to bring you best-in-class analysis. We also work with sister company MEA Risk LLC, to leverage the presence on the ground of a solid network of contributors and experts. Information on MEA Risk can be found at www.MEA-Risk.com.