The attack carried out by Polisario against the city of Smara on May 5, 2026, marked a “turning point” in the way the international community is dealing with the Western Sahara conflict, triggering an unprecedented wave of condemnations that revealed a clear shift in global perceptions of the issue. Unlike previous incidents, the latest attack was no longer viewed through a lens of “neutrality” or “indifference,” but rather as a direct threat to the political settlement process that international actors are increasingly pushing toward a final resolution.
Although the latest attack, like the June 2025 strike, did not result in casualties or material damage, unlike the October 2023 attack that killed a Moroccan civilian in Smara, international reactions this time were notably stronger and more explicit than in previous incidents. Several countries adopted unusually strong positions condemning the attack, signaling that the broader context surrounding the Western Sahara dispute now weighs more heavily than the incident itself.
This transformation appears linked to a growing international conviction that prolonging the conflict no longer serves regional stability, especially amid mounting support for Morocco’s autonomy initiative as the only realistic and viable solution to the dispute.
Unprecedented International Condemnations
International reactions to the Smara attack were both swift and extensive, pointing to a noticeable shift in how major capitals are responding to Polisario movements. The United States was among the first countries to condemn the attack, considering the targeting of civilian areas a threat to peace and stability efforts, in a message carrying political implications that went beyond a simple security condemnation.
France later joined the wave of denunciations, while other European countries, including the Czech Republic, also openly rejected the attack. Spain, despite the sensitivity of its historical position regarding the Western Sahara issue, likewise expressed opposition to the targeting of Smara.
In the Arab world, some responses went even further. Both the United Arab Emirates and Qatar described the attack as a “terrorist act,” an unprecedented characterization in official Arab discourse regarding Polisario attacks, reflecting a significant evolution in perceptions of the armed group’s activities.
Jordan also condemned the strike, while the United Nations departed from its traditional diplomatic language by expressing concern over the escalation and stressing that “this is a time for negotiation, not war.” The statement appeared to reflect a broader international inclination toward ending military skirmishes and accelerating efforts toward a definitive political settlement.
What gives these condemnations greater significance is that nearly all of them were accompanied by reaffirmations of support for Morocco’s territorial integrity or for the autonomy initiative itself. This has reinforced the impression that the international community is increasingly leaning toward closing the Western Sahara file on the basis of Morocco’s autonomy proposal, while bringing Polisario’s armed confrontations to an end.
An Attack Amid Growing Support for Autonomy
The Smara attack came at a moment when Moroccan diplomacy is experiencing unprecedented momentum in securing international backing for the autonomy initiative. In recent weeks, Rabat has expanded the circle of supporting countries across Africa, Europe, Latin America, and Asia, while Polisario and Algeria appear to be facing growing diplomatic difficulties.
Since April through May, several countries have publicly endorsed Morocco’s proposal, including Kenya, Finland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Austria. The European Union also renewed its support for autonomy during the visit of EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas to Rabat, while Latin American countries such as Costa Rica joined the expanding trend.
Support has not been limited to political declarations. Some countries have taken more sensitive steps from Polisario’s perspective by withdrawing or suspending recognition of the so-called “Sahrawi Republic,” as seen in the cases of Mali and Honduras, delivering a double blow to the Front on both political and diplomatic levels.
This rapidly evolving diplomatic landscape has prompted observers of the Western Sahara issue to question the timing of the Smara attack and whether Polisario sought, through the operation, to reassert its presence within international discussions amid declining global interest in its narrative compared to the rising support for Morocco’s autonomy initiative.
That possibility appears even more plausible given that the attack came ahead of key United Nations meetings, including sessions of the UN Fourth Committee scheduled for June and Security Council discussions in October, both of which Morocco hopes to enter with the broadest possible international support for autonomy.
At the same time, increasing reports about ongoing negotiations, reportedly under American sponsorship, involving Morocco, Algeria, Polisario, and Mauritania in search of a final settlement, make any military escalation appear as an attempt to disrupt the process or improve negotiating conditions at a moment when Morocco’s opponents increasingly perceive the diplomatic balance shifting rapidly in Rabat’s favor.
Polisario “Fires at Itself”
Yet instead of securing political or media gains for Polisario, the Smara attack appears to have produced the opposite effect. The operation triggered an unprecedented wave of international condemnations that once again drew attention to the nature of the group’s armed activities and fueled growing calls for its classification as a terrorist organization.
While Polisario likely sought to demonstrate that it still possesses the ability to influence events on the ground, the attack instead strengthened Morocco’s position opposing the continuation of such strikes because of the threat they pose to civilian security and regional stability.
The use by Arab and Western countries of expressions such as “terrorist act” and “targeting civilians” represents a major shift in the diplomatic language associated with Polisario. Until recently, such terminology was almost entirely absent from official international discourse regarding the Front.
Perhaps the most consequential outcome of the Smara attack for Polisario is that it has strengthened the growing international linkage between the group’s military activities and broader cross-border security threats, particularly amid the instability affecting the Sahel region, which has become a top priority for Western powers because of terrorism, irregular migration, and smuggling networks.
