Morocco Alert: Morocco announces launch of military operation in buffer zone in Western Sahara’s Guerguerat on November 13; avoid all travel to border areas

Nov 2020

15:20 UTC

The Moroccan army reportedly announced the launch of an operation in Guerguerat to end “the provocations of the Polisario” on November 13. Guerguerat falls within the buffer zone along the border between Western Sahara and Mauritania and is under surveillance by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
According to reports quoting the General Staff of the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces, Moroccan forces set up a security cordon during the overnight hours of November 12-13, “in order to secure the flow of goods and people through this axis”.
Unconfirmed reports indicated that Morocco had used “anti-tank weaponry” to repel an attack on the Morocco-controlled area of Mahbes, located in close proximity to the Algerian border.
The Polisario Front called the military operation by Morocco an “act of aggression” and “flagrant violation of the [UN-brokered September 1991] ceasefire.
The Polisario Front is a separatist group based in Western Sahara that aims to end Moroccan presence in what the latter calls the “Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR)”.

Those operating or residing in Morocco on November 13 are advised to avoid all travel to border areas with Western Sahara given the potential for a flare-up of hostilities in the region over the coming hours.
Contact us at [email protected] or +44 20-3540-0434 for itinerary and contingency support options.

Medium

Morocco, Western Sahara

Extreme

Credible

The Moroccan army reportedly announced the launch of an operation in Guerguerat to end “the provocations of the Polisario” on November 13. Guerguerat falls within the buffer zone along the border between Western Sahara and Mauritania and is under surveillance by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
According to reports quoting the General Staff of the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces, Moroccan forces set up a security cordon during the overnight hours of November 12-13, “in order to secure the flow of goods and people through this axis”.
Unconfirmed reports indicated that Morocco had used “anti-tank weaponry” to repel an attack on the Morocco-controlled area of Mahbes, located in close proximity to the Algerian border.
The Polisario Front called the military operation by Morocco an “act of aggression” and “flagrant violation of the [UN-brokered September 1991] ceasefire.
The Polisario Front is a separatist group based in Western Sahara that aims to end Moroccan presence in what the latter calls the “Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR)”.

Those operating or residing in Morocco on November 13 are advised to avoid all travel to border areas with Western Sahara given the potential for a flare-up of hostilities in the region over the coming hours.
Contact us at [email protected] or +44 20-3540-0434 for itinerary and contingency support options.

Medium

Morocco, Western Sahara

Extreme

Credible