Ban ‘saddened’ by death of Polisario Front leader

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed his sadness over the death today of Mohamed Abdelaziz, who had led the Polisario Front independence movement in the Western Sahara as its leader since 1976.

In a statement, Mr. Ban’s spokesman noted that over the years, Mr. Abdelaziz had been a central figure in the search for a resolution to the Western Sahara conflict. In this capacity, he met with numerous UN officials, including successive Secretaries-General, most recently with Mr. Ban in March at Western Saharan refugee camps near Tindouf, Algeria.

“The Secretary-General offers his condolences to Mr. Abdelaziz’s family and to the Frente Polisario [Polisario Front] as they mourn his untimely loss,” the statement said.

Mr. Ban looks forward to continuing to work to help the parties to achieve a mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, the statement added.