If, since last Monday, the inhabitants of Laâyoune have been living as the inhabitants of any other city would, with parents going about their business and children going to school, the fact remains that the security forces remain on high alert. In anticipation of the demonstration that was to take place on Sunday, on the occasion, say the friends of Aminatou Haidar, of the attribution by the members of a German Association of the title of "militant", a qualifier that her admirers attribute to the separatist. On this occasion, the wilaya published a statement in which it assures that "any unauthorized demonstration will not be permitted". Despite this warning, the separatists remain determined to demonstrate. This will result in clashes with the security forces.

But the "big" demonstration for which the latter are preparing will be the one supposedly commemorating the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Polisario, on May 20th.

Thursday, around 5 o'clock in the morning in Laâyoune, police elements proceeded to the arrest of 6 to 7 Pro-Polisario Sahrawis, including a 17-year-old minor, indicates a statement from the AMDH. A source confided to us that the searches of the suspects' houses allowed for the seizure of offensive weapons, knives, and sabres. This operation took place three days after the Minister of the Interior reiterated, on Monday before the deputies, his department's firm will to apply the law "throughout the Moroccan territory from Tangier to Lagouira". Mohand Laenser had reported 150 injured among the security forces during clashes that occurred on May 4th with Polisario sympathizers. Regarding these arrests, the public prosecutor's office at the Laâyoune court published a statement specifying that certain individuals accused of having taken part in the events and acts of violence that the city of Laâyoune experienced on the day of May 4, 2013, had been arrested. These acts caused, the statement indicates, injuries among elements of the security forces, including two in a comatose state.

The people accused of destruction of private and public property, and of terrorizing the inhabitants by means of all-terrain vehicles, are in the hands of the judicial police, who are conducting a supplementary investigation under the supervision of the public prosecutor's office. The statement emphasizes that searches have been launched to arrest all persons involved in these acts in order to bring them to justice.

To these arrests and the statement from the wilaya of Laâyoune prohibiting any unauthorized march, are added the death in his cell at the Aït Melloul penitentiary of a Sahrawi detainee, following a hunger strike, and the expulsion that occurred at the end of the week of three Norwegian nationals (Lise Resvold, Matilde Uggerud, Ingar Langli), members of the Norwegian Committee for Support to the separatists. The latter claim in a telephone communication that since their arrival, they "were constantly followed by the Moroccan police". The stay of the three Norwegians who came as tourists to Laâyoune will not even have lasted 24 hours. A police source maintains that the three Norwegians were arrested in the middle of a meeting with separatists, in a hotel in the city, with a view to preparing protest demonstrations by the Pro-Polisario.

Furthermore, while circulating in the streets of Laâyoune, one is astonished by the massive deployment of security forces. This deployment affects the cities of Smara and Boujdour, where there is talk of a surprise visit by the Minister of the Interior and where new reinforcements are flocking. Some observers of the local scene speak of a great mobilization in the ranks of the so-called unionist associations on the Sahrawi chessboard. Thus, at the headquarters of the associative space, several association leaders signed a statement denouncing any attempt to disturb public order and all foreign maneuvers that target young Sahrawis and incite them to demonstrate and protest against the established order. Meeting at the home of one of their own, chioukhs published similar statements condemning, they say, the foreign interference that disturbs the climate of security and tranquility of our cities and recommending that the members of their respective tribes refrain from any unauthorized demonstration.

In Smara, the governor brought together the chioukhs, elected officials, notables, and components of civil society of the province. The goal was to call them to a general mobilization to counter attempts aimed at disturbing order in the various neighborhoods of the city. In a speech delivered on the occasion, the governor recalled the great democratic opening that the country is experiencing and the development on all levels. Whether it is human, economic, or structural development, or in terms of freedoms and the protection of human rights, Morocco cannot be compared to other countries in the sub-region. Recalling the structures put in place to operate this change, notably the Equity and Reconciliation Instance, the CNDH and its regional commissions, the independent arbitration commission, among others. All these structures were born from a Royal will and the combination of the efforts of political components and various national associations, without submission to the slightest foreign influence.

Faced with the gravity of the situation, a group of young political and associative executives of all political and social tendencies, during a press conference organized at the Hotel Massira in Laâyoune, released a statement regarding an initiative called "The Laâyoune Call for a responsible dialogue", the text of which follows:

“The bodies and actors signing this call, in the Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia Al-Hamra region, assuming all their responsibilities, conscious of the importance of the democratic evolution that our country is experiencing, conscious of the phase that our national cause is going through and of the priority of the arbitration of conscience and the principle of responsible dialogue in all circumstances, and convinced of the need to seek a new approach capable of ensuring everyone the freedom of expression within a responsible democratic framework, take this initiative which remains open to all political, trade union, associative, women's, and youth components and to all citizens to:

- Work to consolidate the principle of a global and responsible dialogue between the different components and avoid resorting to the arbitration of the street, which can only widen the circle of violence and make the security situation in the region more conflictual;

- Adopt a new integrated approach for transparency, good governance, development, and social justice that guarantees individual and community freedoms and safeguards human rights in security and stability;

- Accelerate the application of advanced regionalization, supposed to raise the level of economic and social development and take advantage of the region's potential;

- Establish the democratic choice through the fight against mismanagement and the rentier economy and the abrogation of the logic of disposing of the region's affairs to guarantee the consolidation of national unity;

- The effective engagement of the media in a global dialogue relating to the affairs of the region, its future, in all objectivity and credibility and without exclusion”.

The signatories of this call confirm that the path of responsible dialogue and the acceptance of diversity remain the only way to overcome the current situation and are prepared to open spaces for dialogue in this sense.