Brahim Ghali's recent absence from the political scene is unexpected. The secretary general of the Polisario, visibly overwhelmed by events, has chosen to remain silent while awaiting the inauguration of Joe Biden. For several weeks, Brahim Ghali has gone into silent mode. The secretary general of the Polisario remains cloistered in «his yellow palace» in the Tindouf camps, leaving his lieutenants to communicate and comment on events and political developments. A void that Oubi Bouychraya, representative of the Front in Europe, Hamada Selma, «government spokesperson» or even Bachir Mustapha Sayed, «minister adviser to the presidency», are trying to fill with the means at hand and in the absence of a leader. Suddenly the bids and contradictions between the chiefs supposed to belong to the same side are multiplying. «This absence would not be motivated by a further deterioration of his state of health. In a small society like the one in the camps, it is difficult to keep such information secret for a long time», Bahi Larbi Ennass, former senior officer in the Polisario militias from 1982 to 1992, told Yabiladi. Waiting for Biden... This strange silence speaks volumes about the inability to find concrete answers to the latest developments in the region. «Brahim Ghali simply has nothing to say to the people in the camps. He is overwhelmed by the speed of events in the Sahara. In recent weeks, he has suffered many setbacks, in particular losing the card of blocking Guerguerate, after the intervention of the FAR on November 13, 2020. His threats to wage a war against the Kingdom to resume the flow of goods and people between Morocco and Mauritania failed», Ennas explained. «The calls of the Polisario leader for a mobilization and enrollment of young people in military schools to follow training in the handling of weapons have been a failure!» Bahi Larbi Ennass Brahim Ghali's assurance about the opening of consulates in several countries in the Sahara has also been weakened. «According to the Polisario leader, only the 'small countries' have inaugurated consulates in the Sahara. The argument was discredited when the United States has decided to join the list of these 'small countries'», Bahi Larbi Ennass added. The former Polisario officer believes that this silence would last until the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden on January 20. Algerian lobbyists in Washington DC have already taken action to convince high-profile members of the Democratic Party to defend Algeria and the Polisario's positions. This campaign is supported by columns in the media calling on the Biden administration to repeal Donald Trump's decree recognizing Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara. «After Trump's departure from the White House, this offensive is set to intensify until Joe Biden or Antony Blinken (Mike Pompeo's successor) express themselves publicly on the subject», Bahi Larbi Ennass concluded.
