Washington – The incursion of the polisario’s armed elements into northern Mali, where they killed a man and kidnapped three others, denotes an “explosive” situation in the sub-region, warned Peter Pham, director of Michael S. Ansari center for Africa of the US think tank Atlantic Council.
Reacting to the incursion, a Malian minister said that his country “will no longer accept the violation of its territorial integrity by the polisario front,” adding that “the next time, we will assume our responsibilities.”
“This criminal act makes the situation explosive in the sub-region and represents a turning point for the neighboring countries,” Pham told MAP.
He also congratulated the Malian authorities for “speaking openly on what has been the dirty little secret of the sub-region for some time.”
The author of several essays on the Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and on security issues in Africa recalled, in this regard, that he drew attention on the intensification of criminal activities of the polisario and on its collusion with AQIM.
Morocco, he added, has been warning the international community on the dangers of the convergence of interests between the separatist movement and the Al Qaeda franchise in North Africa, stressing that the Tindouf camps has became a fertile recruiting ground for AQIM.
Peter Pham also said that Morocco’s autonomy plan, which stems from a long-term strategic vision, is likely to spare the international community the exacerbation of the security situation in the Maghreb and the Sahel regions.
