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WESTERN Sahara’s Polisario liberation movement complained to the United Nations yesterday over a Moroccan military raid into its territory.
Morocco claimed its operation in the Gargarate area north of Mauritania’s second city Nouadhibou, beginning on Sunday, was aimed at stopping cross-border smuggling, particularly of second-hand and stolen vehicles.
Newly elected Sahrawi President Brahim Ghali, whose government controls part of Western Sahara, rejected that explanation, saying the incursion involved large numbers of troops and crossed the sand berm dividing the Moroccan-occupied west of the country from the Polisario-controlled east.
“All arguments put forward by the Moroccan occupation forces for their actions are baseless and we reject them,” said Mr Ghali.
In March, Morocco expelled the UN ceasefire monitoring and referendum missions after secretary-general Ban Ki Moon referred to the occupation as such during a visit to Sahrawi refugee camps in neighbouring Algeria.
Morocco and Mauritania each annexed part of Western Sahara in November 1975 in agreement with withdrawing colonial power Spain.
