Published on November 5, 2023
Laayoune, Morocco – In a powerful display of unity and condemnation, a significant march took place in Laayoune on Sunday to denounce the “despicable terrorist attack” carried out against civilians in the city of Es-Semara, the spiritual capital of Morocco’s Southern Provinces.
The participants, led by local Chioukhs, notables, and elected representatives, voiced their vigorous condemnation of the attack, categorizing it as “a terrorist act committed by enemies of the Kingdom’s territorial integrity.”
Tens of thousands of residents from Laayoune city and the surrounding areas flooded the streets and main thoroughfares of the city. They waved the national flag to express their deep indignation at this cowardly attack and to show unwavering solidarity with their fellow citizens in Es-Semara.
Chants and slogans reverberated through the crowd, denouncing this “despicable attack that targeted innocent civilians in flagrant violation of international law.” They called upon the international community to assume its responsibility “to put an end to the actions of the Polisario, a terrorist entity that detains our brothers and bombs our sons.”
The attacks, which intentionally targeted civilians, were described as attempts to undermine the security and stability prevailing in Morocco’s southern provinces. They were seen as indicative of the separatist thesis’s failure on diplomatic, military, and political fronts.
Banners held by the demonstrators carried powerful messages such as “Like Daesh, the Polisario is a bunch of terrorists,” and “The explosions at Es-Semara threaten the peace and safety of civilians in flagrant violation of international law, international humanitarian law, and Security Council resolutions.”
The march in Laayoune concluded with the reading of a statement by the Chioukhs of the Saharawi tribes. In the statement, they expressed their outrage at this aggression, considering it a “vain attempt by opponents of the Kingdom of Morocco’s territorial integrity to disrupt and undermine the efforts being made under the aegis of the United Nations, as well as at regional and international levels, in support of Morocco’s sovereignty over the whole of its territory.”
They emphasized that the opponents had conspicuously failed in their attempts to undermine the relevance and credibility of Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty. This plan aims to put an end to the artificial conflict over the Sahara that has persisted for far too long.
In the face of this perilous situation, the signatories of the statement firmly condemned this irresponsible aggression. They reminded the aggressors that Morocco’s security and the safety of its territories and people are a red line. The Chioukhs affirmed their unwavering commitment to defending the Sahara, standing behind HM King Mohammed VI, and commending all wise and far-sighted initiatives aimed at safeguarding the Kingdom’s territorial integrity.
