Sahrawi movement for peace criticizes Polisario’s ineffective strategy

In a compelling appeal to Sahrawi leadership, the Sahrawi Movement for Peace (MSP) has issued an open letter calling for immediate dialogue in light of deteriorating conditions in the Tindouf refugee camps and increasing international isolation.

The letter, published on June 4 from Madrid, directly confronts the Sahrawi elite, urging a candid discussion about the movement’s future. The MSP emphasized, “We are at a turning point where we must decide if we persist in a dead-end path or seek realistic, viable, and just solutions.”

The organization condemned the Polisario Front’s unilateral decision to resume hostilities in November 2020, labeling it a catastrophic misstep with predictable consequences. According to the letter, Moroccan military forces have established overwhelming dominance, decimating Polisario positions and disrupting the status quo established in 1991.

The MSP pointed out the Polisario’s growing diplomatic irrelevance, stating that “many countries have frozen their relations with the ‘Sahrawi Republic’,” while more nations are supporting Morocco’s autonomy proposal as “the most serious and credible” solution.

Reports highlight Spain’s intelligence services raising alarms over a rising terrorist threat linked to the Polisario Front, amid growing extremist activities in the Sahel region. Furthermore, the Peruvian Congress has urged its government to support Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.

Morocco is no longer just managing the Sahara issue; it is setting the agenda. With the United Kingdom now endorsing Morocco’s autonomy plan alongside the United States, France, Spain, and nearly 120 other countries, the geopolitical landscape has shifted significantly.

The MSP described the dire conditions in Tindouf, noting rapid deterioration with shortages and insecurity leading to widespread despair. This critique follows their condemnation of the Algerian regime after the alleged cold-blooded murder of two Sahrawis by Algerian soldiers.

Positioning itself as a credible alternative to the increasingly obsolete Polisario Front, the MSP demands a role in the UN-led political process regarding Sahara. They assert themselves as “the true voice for a significant portion of the Sahrawi population seeking a negotiated political solution.”

American Enterprise Institute scholar Michael Rubin has reinforced this position, calling for the UN to revoke recognition of the Polisario as the legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people. The MSP, which initially supported Morocco’s autonomy proposal in its 2022 Canary Islands Manifesto, has recently reconvened to produce a second manifesto urging the UN to recognize them as a key interlocutor.

In their letter, the MSP warns that failed movements like the PKK in Turkey and the FARC in Colombia surrendered without achieving their goals, while others, such as the Biafran secessionists, faded into oblivion. They advocate for abandoning the armed struggle in favor of political dialogue and flexible coexistence frameworks modeled after successful moderate nationalisms.

“It is time to leave behind divisions and labels of ‘traitors’ or ‘loyalists’,” the MSP states, issuing a stern warning that “history will not be lenient with those who choose silence or inaction at crucial moments.”