Late on Saturday, Moroccan local authorities reported that a series of four explosions in the city of Smara in Morocco-controlled Western Sahara resulted in the death of one individual and left three others injured.
According to an official statement, the explosions caused damage to two residences, with no additional details provided by authorities.
In a statement issued by judicial authorities, it was revealed that the judicial police were actively conducting an investigation to determine the origin and composition of the projectiles that struck the residential area.
Morocco maintains its claim over Western Sahara as its own territory, while the Algerian-backed Polisario Front advocates for the establishment of an independent state in the region. Morocco has asserted that it can provide autonomy as the most viable political resolution for the territory.
In November 2020, the Polisario Front announced the resumption of its armed conflict.
The United Nations described the majority of the hostilities as “low intensity,” primarily concentrated in the sparsely populated eastern region located on the Moroccan-constructed security wall.
The UN Security Council has called upon the conflicting parties to pursue a mutually agreeable resolution. Israel, in July, became the most recent nation to acknowledge Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, following the U.S.’s recognition of the same in 2020.
A total of twenty-eight other nations, primarily from Africa and the Arab world, have established consulates in Dakhla and the city of Laayoune, actions seen by Morocco as concrete endorsements of its authority in the region.
