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Drone strike kills Polisario
Morocco carried out a drone attack in Western Sahara that killed Lahbib Abdelaziz, son of Polisario Front founder Mohamed Abdelaziz, along with two other Polisario members, according to El Mundo America and Libertad Digital.
El Mundo America said the attack used a “state-of-the-art unmanned aircraft” and that it occurred shortly after the ceasefire was broken in Guerguerat in November 2020, with the first drone attack taking place on January 5, 2021.
El Mundo America also reported that the attack struck in the area of Qalibat al-Foula, east of the security wall, during the visit of the UN High Commissioner to the region.
Libertad Digital added that the death of Abdelaziz came in an operation carried out with a drone orchestrated by Morocco, and that Morocco had not commented on the incident.
El Mundo America framed the broader context as a conflict in the Sahara where Morocco began receiving high-tech aircraft in 2021 and later acquired 19 Bayraktar TB2 drones in 2021.
Spain weighs silence
Spain’s government spokesperson minister Elma Saiz said she would be “very prudent” when asked whether the Executive condemns the drone attack that killed three Polisario Front members, and she argued that “We have not received official information,” according to Demócrata.
Demócrata reported that Saiz reiterated Spain’s position to support the work of the personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, while he was visiting Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf (Algeria).
In parallel, El Mundo said Spain’s Foreign Ministry avoided condemnation after the drone attack carried out with Israeli drones operated by Morocco on Tuesday, and it described an order from Jose Manuel Albares not to comment.
El Mundo also stated that “There will be no condemnation or public assessments; nor, for the moment, official explanations,” tying the silence to internal instructions rather than a lack of awareness.
Libertad Digital linked the timing to a UN envoy visit, saying the operation occurred while Staffan de Mistura was visiting the refugee camps in Tindouf.
Regional and civilian stakes
El Mundo America said the UN mission in the Sahara documented up to 18 drone attacks in 2022 and that, according to the Sahrawi Mine Action Coordination Office, 160 civilian victims of Moroccan drone attacks had been recorded, including 80 fatalities.
El Mundo America further reported that 67% of these attacks have been carried out in border areas where Sahrawi and Mauritanian civilians regularly roam, and it said the total exceeded a hundred deaths since the conflict began.
It also described cases beyond the immediate conflict zone, including that in November 2021 three Algerian truck drivers transporting construction materials to Mauritania were bombed and killed on the spot, prompting Algeria to recall its ambassador.
El Mundo America added that in April 2022 an attack in Ain Bentili killed a woman and her son while traveling in a civilian transit area, and it said SMACO data attributed 14.5% of fatalities from drone attacks to Mauritanians and 8.5% to Algerians.
Libertad Digital echoed that Morocco would have used these systems against both military and civilian targets, and it said among the victims were Mauritanian and Algerian nationals.
