RABAT, 16 September 2021, (TON): Morocco’s King Mohammed VI appointed a prominent general in charge of operations in the disputed Western Sahara as his deputy in command of the armed forces.

A statement carried by the official told media “King Mohammed, who is supreme commander of the North African country’s military, named Lt. Gen. Belkhir El-Farouk as Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces.”

El-Farouk “was selected for this post in light of his professional abilities and the high level of responsibility he has shown in the various missions with which he has been charged,” it said.

It said “he will continue to carry out his mission as commander of the southern zone.”

Morocco sees the former Spanish colony as an integral part of its territory, but the armed Polisario movement, backed by the kingdom’s arch-rival Algeria, seeks an independence referendum there.

Tensions rose sharply in November after the separatists blocked a key road in the Guerguerat area leading to neighboring Mauritania, arguing it violated a 1991 cease-fire deal.

El Farouk commanded an operation sending troops in to reopen the road.