Morocco will draw the necessary conclusions on the basis of the “conclusive” results of the investigation being carried out by the judicial police into the four explosions that occurred on Saturday night in the town of Es-Smara, causing the death of one person and injuring three, two of whom were in serious condition, Morocco’s ambassador and permanent representative to the UN, Omar Hilale, said in New York.
“Morocco is a legalistic country. For the moment, we are in the investigation and information-gathering phase. We are waiting for the conclusive results of this investigation, at which point we will act,” said Hilale in response to a question at a press conference held on Monday following the Security Council’s adoption of resolution 2703 extending MINURSO’s mandate by one year.
He recalled that the public prosecutor at the Laayoune Court of Appeal had launched an investigation, entrusted to the judicial police, to identify the scientific and ballistic details of the explosions.
The ambassador pointed out that these four explosions, as reported by the international press and radio stations, took place in the spiritual city of the Moroccan Sahara. The city of Malainine, the great leader of the resistance against Spanish colonization, he said.
Supported by photos showing the town of Es-Smara, where there are no military installations, Hilale pointed out that the four explosions took place in the middle of the night in “a town known for its serenity, for the quality of its life and above all for the pacifism of its civilian population,” noting that the explosions occurred in the same perimeter: the first in the industrial district, the second and third in Hay Essalam and the fourth in Hay El Wahda.
He lamented the death of one martyr, a 23-year-old man named Hamza, who doesn’t live in this town and came to see his aunt to ask for his cousin’s hand in marriage.
“He lives in France in the town of Tarbes. He came to build a future with the woman of his heart. Unfortunately, fate decided otherwise, and I would rather say that those who organized and perpetrated these cowardly and despicable explosions decided otherwise,” the ambassador said.
He also deplored the fact that three people were injured, two of them in a serious condition and still in emergency at Laayoune hospital.
The ambassador also pointed out that MINURSO, which has observation posts in Es-Smara, was notified immediately after the explosions. Elements of the UN Mission found that the explosions had taken place in civilian neighborhoods and houses, leaving one civilian dead and several injured.
“They will report back to the UN Secretariat,” he said.
Referring to a body of evidence which “is conclusive and many of which point in the same direction as the one which has pronounced itself”, the ambassador first cited the official statement issued by the armed separatist group “polisario”.
“This is the statement 901, which states that the so-called “Saharawi Liberation Army” has targeted three regions: Mahbes, Es-Smara and Farsia,” he stressed, adding that the separatist militias speak of explosions and projectiles they launched on Saturday night.
The second clue,” continued Hilale, “is that the world’s radio and television channels and news agencies have cited the “polisario” as the perpetrator of these explosions. At no time has the polisario denied these facts.
“In the absence of a denial on its part, everything points to its responsibility and indicates that its silence confirms that its militias are behind these explosions,” he added.
Ambassador Hilale also pointed out that, under international law, international humanitarian law and the relevant Security Council resolutions, any attack or targeting of civilians and civilian towns is a “terrorist act and an act of war”.
“These explosions, which killed a martyr and saddened the whole of Morocco, will not go unpunished,” he added, stressing that the perpetrators of these explosions “will have to assume their legal and political responsibility. Not only those who perpetrated these attacks, but also those who are behind them, those who shelter them, those who supply them with missiles, katiouchas and mortars.
He added that “every blast leaves traces and technical clues. This will enable Morocco to trace its origin”. “Morocco will draw the necessary conclusions and take the appropriate decisions,” said the diplomat.
“We expect this report to be made public by the United Nations so that everyone knows who is targeting civilians, who is killing innocent people, who is destabilizing the region and who risks causing conflagration and tragedy,” he stressed, declaring that Morocco trusts the United Nations to follow up on this despicable and condemnable terrorist act.
