Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita on April 29 denounced recent deadly attacks in Mali and warned of the growing alliance between separatist movements and terrorist groups, a nexus he said that poses a serious threat to stability across the Sahel.
Speaking after bilateral talks in Rabat with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, Bourita referred to the recent attacks waged by a coalition of separatist Tuaregs and terrorist groups on Malian sites.
Several analysts and videos showed the involvement of the Algeria-backed polisario militias in violence targeting Mali’s authorities.
Bourita reiterated Morocco’s condemnation of the attacks, which struck Malian military and civilian installations.
“Morocco has already strongly denounced these terrorist attacks by reaffirming its support for Mali’s stability, sovereignty and national unity,” Bourita said, adding that “the stability of Mali is fundamental to regional stability.”
He described the attacks as “unacceptable,” saying they had resulted in heavy casualties, including among civilians.
Bourita adopted a tougher tone by warning of what he called “a clear connivance” between separatism and terrorism.
“This is something that should concern us all, because this objective alliance between separatism and terrorism is a danger…a danger to regional stability, a danger to Mali, and beyond that, a fundamental risk,” he said.
The Sahel is going through “a very critical phase of its contemporary history,” the Moroccan official said, underscoring the need for coordinated action by regional and international actors to dismantle links between armed separatist movements and militant groups.
His remarks come amid growing scrutiny of the Polisario Front in Washington. Legislation seeking to classify the Polisario as a terrorist organization has been introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.
Bourita said it was essential to pursue what he called “reverse dynamics” in the region, focused on stability, respect for the choices of local populations and relations grounded in cooperation rather than “blackmail and intimidation.”
