The Royal Armed Forces in Morocco carried out a non-offensive operation last night, by which it placed a security belt to secure the flow of goods and personnel through the Guerguerat buffer zone, which links Morocco and Mauritania, after obstructing what it described as the armed militias of the "Polisario" front.
The Armed Forces confirmed - in a statement - that there is no intention to use weapons in the operation except in the event of self-defense.
The Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said - in a statement - that in the face of dangerous and unacceptable provocations of what it described as the Polisario militia in the region, Morocco decided to act in full respect for the authorities vested in it.
The statement added that Morocco, having committed itself to the greatest degree of restraint,
It had no choice but to put an end to the obstruction caused by these movements and re-establish freedom of civil and commercial movement.
The statement indicated that the Polisario Front "infiltrated the region since late last October, carrying out gang action, obstructing the movement of people and goods, and restricting the work of the military observers of the UN mission (MINURSO)."
Reuters quoted a senior official source as saying, "The army's intervention is not always by carrying weapons. Rather, the decision now is for the army to build sand barriers to fill the gaps and secure the passage of trucks and civilians," adding that "carrying weapons is excluded."
The conflict in Western Sahara is one of the oldest conflicts in Africa, as Morocco regained the Sahara from Spanish colonialism in 1975, and the Polisario Front was established a year later, and it took up arms, demanding the secession of the region rich in fish and phosphates, and it is believed that it has oil deposits.
All peace efforts led by the United Nations failed, but they succeeded in enforcing a ceasefire in 1991.
Morocco proposes self-rule for the territory under Moroccan sovereignty, but the Polisario Front and Algeria are calling for complete secession from Morocco.
Last week, the Moroccan monarch criticized the Polisario's obstruction of transport between Morocco and Mauritania via Guerguerat, and said in a speech to the people on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the retaking of the territory from Spanish colonialism;
"Morocco will remain, God willing, as it has always clung to logic and wisdom, as much as it will firmly and decisively confront the excesses that try to harm the safety and stability of its southern provinces."