Polisario leader’s son killed in Western Sahara clash as conflict simmers
The Polisario Front announced on Sunday that Lehbib Mohamed Abdelaziz, a member of the organization’s secretariat, was killed while taking part in an attack against Morocco’s defense system in Western Sahara. The group said three fighters died in the operation but did not identify the other casualties.
Algeria-Three members of the Polisario Front, including the son of the movement’s late longtime leader Mohamed Abdelaziz, were killed during an operation targeting Morocco’s defensive barrier in Western Sahara, the independence group said, underscoring continuing tensions in the disputed territory.
In a statement carried by the Sahrawi news agency SPS, the movement said Lehbib Mohamed Abdelaziz had “fallen on the field of honor.” The Polisario subsequently declared three days of mourning.
Lehbib Mohamed Abdelaziz was the son of Mohamed Abdelaziz, the historical leader of the Polisario Front and president of the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), who led the movement from the territory’s independence declaration in 1976 until his death in 2016.
The Polisario said the 37-year-old officer was killed during military action directed against Morocco’s defense system in the disputed territory. The group provided no additional details regarding the circumstances of the operation.
Spanish media reported that a drone strike attributed to Morocco occurred east of the defensive barrier, although no official confirmation was immediately available.
The structure, commonly known as the Sand Wall, stretches approximately 2,700 kilometers across Western Sahara. Morocco constructed the fortified barrier between 1980 and 1987 to limit incursions by Polisario fighters and secure areas under its control.
Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony rich in mineral resources, remains one of North Africa’s longest-running territorial disputes. Morocco administers most of the territory, while the Algeria-backed Polisario Front seeks independence and claims sovereignty over the region.
A United Nations-backed ceasefire that largely held for nearly three decades collapsed in 2020, prompting the Polisario to resume armed operations against Moroccan forces.
The diplomatic landscape surrounding the dispute shifted further last October when the United Nations Security Council, with support from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, backed a Moroccan proposal that would grant Western Sahara autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty.
The latest fatalities highlight the continuing security risks in the territory despite ongoing international efforts to find a political solution to the decades-old conflict.
