Morocco reinforces military positions in Western Sahara
Thousands of troops, tanks and artillery have moved toward the separation wall, according to a Sahrawi news agency source.
Morocco has reinforced at least nine points along its military wall in Western Sahara, moving more troops to the northern, central and southern sectors this week. Sightings reported in Guelta-Zemmur and Amgala include at least one battalion of the Moroccan army's elite corps, with thousands of troops stationed there.
A senior Frente POLISARIO official told ECSaharaui that Morocco's move does not necessarily signal a full invasion of the liberated territories, and said the Moroccan command sent its forces out to show strength after repeated Polisario attacks. A military source said Sahrawi People's Liberation Army fighters attacked a mobile Moroccan unit shortly after the movements were detected, and that no visible movement from that unit had been recorded so far.
The United Nations General Assembly is due to debate on 10 November the veto that led to the closure of MINURSO, the UN mission for the Western Sahara referendum. The report says Rabat could try to use the security gap left by the mission's departure to extend its control over positions east of the wall, including in the Tifariti sector.
Why it mattersResidents of the territories near the separation line face the risk of fighting, according to the report's sources.