Confidential diplomatic correspondence from October 2008, originating from the Moroccan embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, sheds new light on an extraordinary intelligence and diplomatic campaign. Rabat orchestrated a strategy to infiltrate and destabilise the Polisario Front while countering Algerian influence in Central America, leveraging information provided by former Sahrawi diplomat Salama Ould Hennane.
Rguibate versus the rest: tribal divisions as a wedge
At the heart of these revelations is an opportunity Rabat seized: the potential defection of senior Polisario officials. The Moroccan ambassador reported being approached repeatedly by a man using the pseudonym Sliman – in reality Salama Ould Hennane, a native of Dakhla from the Oulad Dlim tribe and former “ambassador” of the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) to Panama and Central America.
Sliman painted a picture of deep discontent within the separatist movement. The cause? Overt favouritism by the Polisario leadership toward the Rguibate tribe at the expense of others, including Oulad Dlim, Oulad Tidrarine, Ait Lahcen, Ait Baamran and the Takna confederation.
For the former separatist diplomat, the moment was ripe to deal a fatal blow. He wrote: “This is the ideal time to act inside the Polisario, to weaken it further and unite the movement’s opponents behind the autonomy project.”
Sliman claimed to have backing from several SADR figures to create an internal rebellion, including:
- Ahmed ould Souilem (delegate minister for Arab affairs).
- Mahfoud Ould Ahmed Zine (former minister and regional military chief).
- Mansour (former foreign minister and representative in Paris).
The plan proposed to the DGED was audacious: push these individuals to form an official opposition group, announce their dissent at an international press conference – likely in Madrid – and publicly declare their support for the Autonomy Plan proposed by Morocco. Ambassador Moussa even suggested using Sliman as a “planted agent” to carry out the destabilisation.
The Central America battle: Algeria’s blank cheque
Beyond internal strife, the letters expose a fierce influence war between Rabat and Algiers in Latin America. In October 2008, Moroccan diplomats learned that a high-level Algerian delegation, led by Ambassador Baali from Washington, was about to tour Central America.
Algiers aimed to undermine the momentum of Morocco’s UN-backed autonomy plan. To win over Latin American capitals, Algeria offered a “cooperation projects package” – read: financial and economic aid – in exchange for alignment with separatist positions. Simultaneously, the Polisario dispatched its envoy Mohamed Yaslem Beissat to Panama to limit the damage.
Panama: the strategic pivot
Panama emerged as the true epicentre of the tug-of-war. The documents confirm a major chill between Panama City and the separatists. The Panamanian authorities refused to accredit a new SADR ambassador, effectively downgrading the Sahrawi representation to a mere “chargé d’affaires” level.
Faced with this shift, the Moroccan ambassador urged Rabat to seize the moment. He insisted Morocco send an official envoy to seal the warming bilateral ties and permanently sideline the Algerians. In a final lobbying move, the diplomat activated his trusted networks within the Panamanian government to block any Polisario demands, warning that a reversal “could harm bilateral relations with the Kingdom of Morocco”.
Mohamed Abdelaziz’s secret agenda
Proof of the embassy’s precise intelligence gathering comes from a document dated October 27, 2008, detailing the upcoming schedule of Polisario leader Mohamed Abdelaziz: a November 4 visit to New York to meet UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, followed by a trip to Valencia, Spain, on November 9 for the closing of the European Conference of Support for the Sahrawi People (EUCOCO).
These diplomatic archives reveal the raw reality of the Sahara conflict: a shadow war where North Africa and Latin America intersect, and where the strength of alliances is determined as much in secret embassy rooms as on the ground of tribal rivalries.