Lahbib Ould Mohamed Abdelaziz, son of former Polisario Front leader Mohamed Abdelaziz and one of the most prominent rising figures within the separatist front, was reportedly killed in a Moroccan drone strike targeting a vehicle in the buffer zone east of the security berm in the Moroccan Sahara, according to media outlets and activists affiliated with the separatist front.
According to reports emerging from circles close to the separatist front, Lahbib Ould Mohamed Abdelaziz was traveling in a four-wheel-drive vehicle alongside other members of the Front when it was targeted, resulting in several deaths and injuries. The leadership of the separatist front had issued no detailed official statement at the time of writing regarding the exact circumstances of the incident or the final casualty toll.
Sources affiliated with the separatist front said Lahbib Ould Mohamed Abdelaziz was a member of the Polisario General Secretariat and its defense structures. He had increasingly been viewed within the separatist front's political and military circles as one of the figures likely to assume greater responsibilities in the coming years, particularly amid recurring discussions about a post-Brahim Ghali leadership phase.
The reports triggered widespread reactions within the Tindouf camps in southwestern Algeria, where the separatist front is based. Sources spoke of heightened alert levels among senior leadership circles, amid reports of military movements linked to the evacuation of casualties associated with the strike.
Lahbib Ould Mohamed Abdelaziz was the son of Mohamed Abdelaziz, who led the separatist front for four decades until his death in 2016. Owing to his family background and influence within the Polisario's political and military networks, he was widely regarded as one of the most visible figures of a younger generation seeking a greater role within the separatist front's leadership structure.
He reportedly received military training in Algeria and previously held responsibilities within the separatist front's gendarmerie apparatus before maintaining a lower public profile following his father's death. In recent years, however, he had re-emerged through statements and positions supporting the military escalation line adopted by the leadership of the separatist front.
