The Mauritanian army is showing unwavering determination to secure its land borders against incursions by the Polisario. On Tuesday, Mauritanian soldiers prevented a group of Sahrawis traveling in vehicles from illegally entering Mauritanian territory. Armed members of the Polisario Front were present at the scene but did not intervene, a well-informed Moroccan source told Yabiladi. A media outlet affiliated with the Polisario also reported on the incident, acknowledging that a Mauritanian army patrol had intercepted «civilian Sahrawi travelers» at the border zone between Algeria, Mauritania, and the so-called «Sahrawi Republic». The same outlet added that the situation was «resolved» after the head of the Mauritanian patrol apologized to the Sahrawis—without mentioning that these «civilian travelers» were ultimately forced to return to the Tindouf camps. Last week, Mauritania closed off the Lebriga region, located near the Algerian border and adjacent to the Tindouf camps. This area in northeastern Mauritania was declared «off-limits to civilians» in an effort to contain security chaos and curb illegal activities, particularly organized smuggling, a Mauritanian military source told a media outlet in Nouakchott. In the past, the Polisario has exploited Mauritania's lax border controls with Morocco to launch projectiles at civilian targets in the Sahara, often conducting these attacks using vehicles registered in Mauritania.
