Polisario’s Smara Attack: Washington Says Enough

The U.S. Mission to the United Nations issued a formal condemnation of the Polisario Front’s attack on Smara — and the language Washington chose left nothing open to interpretation. The statement condemned the attack, called the violence a threat to regional stability and to progress toward peace, declared it incompatible with the spirit of recent talks, and closed with a verdict: “The status quo cannot continue”. This was Washington drawing a line, not issuing a courtesy statement.

The Polisario Front had formally claimed responsibility for firing three rockets at Smara — including the area surrounding the local prison. The projectiles landed outside residential zones, with no reported casualties. But the political fallout was immediate. The attack directly violated the understandings reached at consultations held in Washington on February 23 and 24, attended by UN Envoy Staffan de Mistura and senior U.S. officials — talks that had specifically called on the Polisario to respect the ceasefire and engage in serious negotiations without preconditions.

We condemn the attacks by Polisario Front in Smara.  

Such violence threatens regional stability and the progress made towards peace.  

These actions are inconsistent with the spirit of the recent talks.  

The time to end this 50-year-old dispute is now.  

As affirmed in…

— U.S. Mission to the UN (@USUN) May 6, 2026

Morocco’s autonomy plan: Washington’s only answer

The statement went well beyond condemnation. The U.S. explicitly reaffirmed that UN Security Council Resolution 2797 identifies Morocco’s autonomy proposal as the path to peace in Moroccan Sahara — and called on “all those resisting peace to genuinely commit to a brighter future”. The message was directed squarely at the Polisario and those backing it. Washington did not hedge, did not balance, did not offer the Polisario a diplomatic off-ramp. It named the path forward — and it is Morocco’s.