Gunfire erupted between Moroccan forces and a pro-independence group in Western Sahara on Sunday that reportedly ended nearly 30 years of peace in the area.
The Moroccan military clashed with fighters from the Polisario Front in several locations, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing the front’s envoy to the United Nations.
Brahim Ghali, the Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, announced in a decree the beginning of the “armed struggle in defense of the legitimate rights of our people,” according to CNN. Another official called the military action an “open war” and appealed to supporters to mobilize against the Moroccans.
The Journal reported the fighting erupted on 13 November when Moroccan troops entered a buffer zone. The Moroccans said the protesters had been blocking access on a major road since October. The paper reported the protesters have demanded Morocco releases prisoners, and they accused Rabat of an illegal breach in a 1,700-mile sand wall.
There have been no confirmed injuries from the fighting.
The Associated Press reported last month the U.S. and Morocco signed a 10-year agreement aimed to strengthen military ties. The country is considered to be a major non-NATO ally to the U.S., the report said.
Najlae Benmbarek, Director of Public Diplomacy for the Moroccan government, told the Journal, “Our army is still adopting a lot of restraint, and a lot of responsibility, and there was not intent from Morocco to go in that direction at all, but we had a responsibility to put an end to the acts.”
TREND FORECAST: As nations across Africa sink deeper into the “Greatest Depression,” protests, demonstrations, and riots will escalate with civil wars spreading into regional wars. Millions will seek migration to safe-haven nations, which will in turn accelerate populist movements, particularly across Europe.
