The option of «self-determination for the Saharawi people», championed by the Polisario leadership and Algeria, is losing support even among Saharawis most opposed to Morocco. This shift is evident in the reaction of Said Zarwal, who has been living in Sweden for years following threats from a Polisario «minister», to the communiqué issued by the Front's General Secretariat after its August 20 meeting. Zarwal stated, «Anyone who bets on the UN-sponsored solution of self-determination for Western Sahara is someone who wants to bury the Saharawi people in L'Hmada, far from Western Sahara. This is what the Moroccan occupation wants». «The UN, which is incapable of achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and Ukraine, how will it guarantee the Saharawi people their right to self-determination?» he questioned. Zarwal criticized the Polisario leadership, saying, «We say to the brothers, members of the national secretariat, that you must assume your historic responsibility for the failure of the Sahrawi national project, especially after squandering the last two pressure cards that were in the hands of the Sahrawi side: El Guerguerate and the resumption of the armed struggle». Last May, Zarwal emphasized that «the Polisario had failed to liberate Saguia El Hamra and Oued Eddahab, as it had promised in 1973».
