Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani received on Tuesday at the Presidential Palace in Nouakchott a delegation from the Polisario Front led by its so-called Speaker of Parliament, Hamma Salama, who delivered a written message from the Front’s leader, Ibrahim Ghali, addressing the latest developments related to the fabricated regional conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.

It is noteworthy that a special protocol arrangement was adopted, which was to not place the Mauritanian flag alongside the symbol of the separatist entity inside the reception hall, contrary to what is usually adopted in official meetings, in order to avoid any diplomatic embarrassment that this symbolism might provoke. This step reflects Nouakchott’s keenness to avoid any political implications related to the Moroccan Sahara issue, and to maintain a delicate balance in its dealings with the various parties.

This visit comes as part of the Polisario leadership’s efforts to maintain communication channels with Mauritania and to keep it informed periodically of its vision of the latest developments in the conflict, despite Nouakchott’s continued emphasis on its commitment to a position of “positive neutrality” and to stand at the same distance from all parties. However, the movements of the front, supported by Algeria, are actively seeking to win over the Mauritanian position within the regional and international transformations affecting the course of the issue.

Conversely, concern is growing within the Tindouf camps with the diplomatic progress achieved by the Kingdom of Morocco in consolidating its sovereignty over its southern provinces and enshrining the autonomy initiative as the sole solution to the conflict. This was confirmed by the recent Security Council resolution No. 2797, which has become a reference and legal framework for the political process. The Polisario and Algeria fear the impact of this dynamic on the positions of regional parties, especially Mauritania, one of the concerned parties, which is following developments cautiously within a delicate balancing approach aimed at preserving its strategic interests in the region.

Commenting on the Mauritanian president’s reception of a Polisario Front delegation, Sheikh Ahmed Amin, director of the banned Mauritanian news site “Anbaa Info”, said that this visit reflects the extent of the confusion experienced by the Front’s leadership in a regional and international context that no longer gives it any room to maneuver.

Amin noted, in a statement to the Hespress electronic newspaper, that the delegation’s visit to Nouakchott “comes in the context of a desperate attempt to re-establish the Polisario Front’s presence in the region, at a time when the Moroccan approach to the solution is gaining widespread international recognition, especially after the recent Security Council resolution that established the autonomy initiative as the sole basis for the political process.”

The Mauritanian journalist explained that “the profound changes taking place in the Sahara issue make the Polisario Front feel that the rules of the game are no longer the same, and that it has to knock on the doors of neighboring capitals to reduce an isolation that is widening day by day.”

Sheikh Ahmed Amin added that “the visit is not a free choice for the Front as much as it reflects objective pressure imposed by the current stage, and perhaps a ‘political necessity’ to show that it is still an actor that can be talked to, despite its diminishing influence on the ground.”

The same spokesperson noted that “Mauritania is aware of the sensitivity of the situation. Therefore, it is dealing very cautiously with any step that may be interpreted as taking sides; this explains the adoption of special protocol arrangements during the reception, given Nouakchott’s keenness to avoid any symbolism that might put it in an undesirable position.”

Sheikh Ahmed Amin concluded his remarks to Hespress by emphasizing that “the visit, whether under pressure or out of necessity, highlights the extent of the political distress the Front is experiencing, at a time when the balance of power is moving towards a realistic solution that is finding increasing support in the international community.”

tactical maneuver

For his part, Sidi Sebai, head of “Sahrawi Youth for Peace”, asserted that the Polisario delegation’s visit to Mauritania “is nothing more than a tactical maneuver aimed at suggesting that the Front has a dynamic diplomatic presence, at a time when the facts show that it is experiencing unprecedented isolation.”

In a statement to the Hespress electronic newspaper, Sebai added that this step “will not affect at all the pivotal shift that the course of the conflict has witnessed, after the efforts of the United Nations and the international community have decided the direction of the political process towards a realistic and sustainable solution, based exclusively on the autonomy initiative presented by Morocco as the only viable option.”

The same spokesperson confirmed that the UN milestones, most notably the briefing by the UN Secretary-General on October 31, established a clear path based on supporting Morocco’s efforts and appreciating its ongoing cooperation with the UN, in contrast to the decline in the rhetoric of escalation by the other parties.

The Sahrawi activist pointed out that the stakes today within the Maghreb region “are no longer tied to bidding wars; rather, they are tied to achieving genuine national unity within the southern regions, and building a stable climate that provides development opportunities and opens the door to a final solution that ends the state of stagnation.”

Sidi Sebaï concluded that the regional geopolitical context, with the risks of terrorism and instability in the Sahel, requires all parties – especially Mauritania – to move beyond the logic of opportunistic maneuvers and engage seriously in supporting a solution that provides security and development for the peoples of the region, stressing that “any opportunistic attempts will not change the established course towards which the issue is heading, which is based on political realism and the territorial integrity of Morocco.”