Smara attack. Major powers condemn as Polisario is caught up in its own rocket fire

Key points:

• The Polisario Front has claimed responsibility for the May 5, 2026 rocket fire targeting Smara, a city already struck by a deadly attack in October 2023.
• This time, Washington, Paris and Brussels have condemned the attack in clear terms. The United Nations, more cautious, has nevertheless referred to a rocket attack near Smara.
• The contrast with 2023 is striking, when the death in Smara of a Moroccan resident in France was treated with a level of restraint bordering on denial.
• As Morocco’s autonomy initiative increasingly asserts itself as the political framework for a settlement, the Polisario is being confronted with its own actions: firing on civilians in an attempt to influence an outcome slipping out of its hands.

-oOo-

In detail:

The Polisario’s terrorist attack on Smara on May 5, 2026 continues to reverberate internationally.

In the space of two days, the United States, France and the European Union (EU) issued successive condemnations. More cautiously, the United Nations Secretariat expressed its “deep concern”.

Smara, once again

In recent years, major powers have had repeated opportunities to condemn the Polisario’s actions. In October 2023, it should be recalled, in Smara itself, a Moroccan resident in France was killed while he was in the spiritual capital of the Sahara to ask for the hand of a young woman he wished to marry. That evening, under the star-studded Saharan sky, the fate of an innocent young man was cowardly cut short by a projectile likely of Iranian manufacture.

In the report he published a few months later, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres merely referred to the incident in conditional terms, as though it had been a simple misunderstanding. “One person was reportedly killed and three others injured,” he noted in the document dated July 2024.

Chancelleries change tone

But enough is enough. This can be seen in the new language now being used by chancelleries. The most forceful response came from the United States, which now sees the Polisario trying to nip in the bud all the diplomatic capital and time invested in recent months to bring an end to Africa’s oldest dispute, with Resolution 2797 as the framework. “These actions are inconsistent with the spirit of the recent talks,” Washington denounced, in no uncertain terms.

We condemn the attacks by Polisario Front in Smara.

Such violence threatens regional stability and the progress made towards peace.

These actions are inconsistent with the spirit of the recent talks.

The time to end this 50-year-old dispute is now.

As affirmed in…

— U.S. Mission to the UN (@USUN) May 6, 2026

In the same vein, France, also through its Permanent Mission to the United Nations, “condemn[ed]” an “attack” which, it stressed, “threatens regional stability and jeopardizes the negotiation process initiated following the adoption of Resolution 2797 (2025) by the Security Council”. “France calls on the Polisario Front to respect the ceasefire and the aforementioned resolution. It supports negotiation efforts aimed at bringing an end to this conflict, which has lasted too long,” the French mission added.

La France condamne l’attaque revendiquée par le Front Polisario contre la ville de Smara, lundi 5 mai.

Nous appuyons les efforts de négociations dans le cadre de l’ONU, sur la base de la résolution 2797 et l’initiative d’autonomie sous souveraineté marocaine. pic.twitter.com/QNv6v9FHg9

— La France à l'ONU 🇫🇷🇺🇳 (@franceonu) May 7, 2026

As for Brussels, its new ambassador in Rabat, Bulgaria’s Dimiter Tzantchev, said that “the recent attack on Smara should be condemned”, and that “now is not the time for escalation, but for negotiation, as per UNSC Res. 2797 (2025), taking as a basis Morocco's Autonomy Plan with a view to achieving a just, lasting & mutually acceptable solution consistent with the UN Charter”. In substance, the statement is in line with the EU’s new position since the latest session of the bilateral Association Council, held on January 29, 2026.

The recent attack on Smara should be condemned. Now is not the time for escalation, but for negotiation, as per UNSC Res. 2797 (2025), taking as a basis Morocco's Autonomy Plan with a view to achieving a just, lasting & mutually acceptable solution consistent with the UN Charter.

— Dimiter Tzantchev (@DTzantchev) May 8, 2026

Finally, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for Antonio Guterres, read the following statement: “The Personal Envoy of the Secretary General for Western Sahara, Staffan De Mistura, supports and shares the concerns expressed by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), concerning the Frente POLISARIO’s rocket attack of 5 May near Smara. MINURSO expressed deep concern over incidents of firing in civilian areas and urged the parties to avoid any act that may jeopardize the ongoing political process. The Personal Envoy, Mr. De Mistura, emphasizes that this is a time for dialogue and negotiations, not a time for military escalation. Such attacks underscore the urgent need to return to the ceasefire and negotiate a lasting mutually acceptable political solution to this conflict.”

.@UN_Spokesperson: The Personal Envoy for Western Sahara echoes MINURSO's deep concern over the Frente POLISARIO’s rocket attack of 5 May near Smara. He emphasizes that this is a time for dialogue and negotiations, not a time for military escalation.
🔗 https://t.co/Vqhw08TZyv pic.twitter.com/P5TBMLKhVc

— UN Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (@UNDPPA) May 7, 2026

Admittedly, one might find this statement rather mild in substance. But to fully grasp its significance, it may be worth comparing it with the UN’s reaction following the October 2023 attack. As noted above, Guterres’ July 2024 report had come very close to denial.

Fortunately, this time, there were no fatalities, though there could have been. The fact remains that the balance of power has changed. The self-determination blackmail, long instrumentalized by Algiers in full view of the international community, no longer works. Major capitals no longer hesitate to speak plainly, to call a spade a spade, and an attack an attack. And, therefore, to use the words that are needed.

The narrative is changing too. Yesterday, Morocco was accused of being the aggressor, for the unjust reason that it refused to let itself be dismembered and insisted on reclaiming what was rightfully its own: a whole set of Saharan provinces usurped by colonization at the time of Africa’s partition. Today, history has stopped standing on its head. It was about time.