Polisario Declares General Mobilisation

WESTERN SAHARA · ALGERIA

The Polisario Front, the Algeria-backed movement that wants an independent state in Western Sahara, declared a state of general mobilisation on Tuesday 10 November 2026. It said Morocco is massing troops and weapons along the roughly 2,700-kilometre sand wall that Morocco built across the disputed desert territory in the 1980s, a claim for which we could not find independent confirmation.

The step comes 11 days after a vote in the UN Security Council, the body that authorises peacekeeping missions, left the UN mission in Western Sahara without a mandate. For US readers it is an early test of whether the 1991 ceasefire, which the Polisario declared void in 2020, holds without UN monitors on the ground.

What Polisario Announced

The National Secretariat, the front’s top leadership body, met in emergency session on Tuesday under Brahim Ghali, who is both its secretary-general and president of the self-declared Sahrawi Republic. In a statement afterwards it declared general mobilisation and called on all Sahrawi men and women, the people of Western Sahara whom the movement represents, to stay fully prepared to defend their claimed right to self-determination.

The statement accused Morocco of deploying large numbers of troops and different types of weapons at several positions along the sand wall, which it called inconsistent with Morocco’s declared commitment to the ceasefire. It also asked the United Nations and the African Union, the continental body of African states, to press Morocco to end what the front calls an illegal occupation.

How the UN Mission Ended

The Security Council failed on Friday 30 October to adopt a US-sponsored draft on Western Sahara, which Russia vetoed. A Russian draft that would have extended the mission by a year also failed, winning only three votes.

The mission, known as MINURSO (the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara), had monitored the ceasefire since 1991. Its mandate was due to expire on 31 October.

The UN said on Sunday 1 November that the mission had ended and that its liquidation phase had begun. A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he remained concerned about the risk of hostilities escalating and urged all sides to show maximum restraint.

Morocco’s Royal Office, the king’s office, said on Wednesday 4 November that Morocco’s voluntary commitment to the ceasefire would not change. Morocco called the end of the mandate a significant development, while Algeria expressed deep regret.

Why Algeria Is Part of the Story

The Polisario administers refugee camps around Tindouf in south-western Algeria, where it also keeps rear bases, and Algiers has long backed its demand for a referendum on the territory’s future. Any return to fighting would therefore concern both Algeria and Morocco, which have had no diplomatic relations since Algiers cut ties in August 2021.

In 2020 the Polisario declared that it had resumed its armed struggle, after what it called a Moroccan breach of the ceasefire at the Guerguerat border crossing in the far south of the territory, near Mauritania. Morocco, which governs most of the territory, says it will honour the ceasefire.

What It Means for You

For US readers the exposure is diplomatic and commercial rather than immediate. Washington recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in December 2020 and sponsored the draft that Russia vetoed, so any escalation would test US policy in North Africa.

Travellers to Morocco and Algeria should check the US State Department’s current advisories, because the front’s statement names no target and no date. Companies with shipping, tourism or energy interests in the region should watch whether the General Assembly debate opens a new diplomatic track.

What Is Not Known

It is not known what mobilisation means in practice, because the statement gives no figures for volunteers or reservists, no deployment orders and no date. It is also not known whether the troop movements it describes have taken place, since the account comes from the Polisario alone.

Morocco’s reaction to the allegation is not known. The General Assembly’s debate on the veto, scheduled for 10 November, may show how governments read the risk.

More: Morocco news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Polisario Front?

It is a political and armed movement, backed by Algeria, that seeks an independent state for the Sahrawi people in Western Sahara. It runs refugee camps in south-western Algeria.

What does general mobilisation mean here?

Polisario has not defined it. Its statement only calls on all Sahrawi men and women to be fully prepared.

Has the ceasefire ended?

Polisario’s statement did not say so. Morocco said on 4 November that it remains committed to the ceasefire.

Why does Western Sahara matter to the United States?

The US recognised Moroccan sovereignty over the territory in December 2020 and sponsored the failed Security Council draft this autumn. A return to fighting would affect Morocco, a US ally, and its neighbour Algeria.

Sources: Polisario Front National Secretariat statements, 10 November 2026 (general mobilisation, emergency meeting); UN General Assembly plenary, 10 November 2026 (record of the debate); statement of the UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson, 1 November 2026; Statement of the Royal Office of Morocco, 4 November 2026. Related reading: Morocco after the UN mission, Russia and the UN General Assembly, Algeria and the US draft.

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