Shaheed El-Hafed, June 7, 2026 (SPS) – The Presidency of the Republic has declared three days of national mourning, beginning at 8:00 p.m. local time on Sunday, following the death in combat of Lehbib Mohamed Abdelaziz, a member of the National Secretariat of the Polisario Front, commander of the First Reserve Brigade, along with two of his companions.
The Polisario Front has lost one of its youngest political and military leaders. Lehbib Mohamed Abdelaziz, member of the National Secretariat of the Polisario Front and commander of the First Reserve Brigade, was martyred on June 7, 2026, at the age of 37, while leading an attack against the Moroccan defensive wall.
Two of his fellow combatants were also martyred alongside him.
Born in 1989 in the “Camps of Dignity,” he completed his primary education there and memorized the Quran before moving to Algeria to study international relations, earning a university degree.
In November 2011, shortly after graduating, he enlisted in the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army (SPLA).
In 2012, he completed special forces training. Between 2017 and 2018, he successfully completed command and staff training.
Throughout his military career, he served as a platoon leader and later as a battalion commander. He also held several positions within the military administration, including Director of General Administration at the Ministry of National Defence and member of the General Staff. He later assumed leadership of the Central Training Directorate.
In 2024, he was appointed commander of the First Reserve Brigade. In the same year, during the 16th Congress of the Polisario Front, he was elected as a member of the National Secretariat.
Those who served under his command described him as disciplined and devoted. “He worked responsibly and spoke with humility,” the presidential statement concluded. He did not seek personal glory and preferred simplicity in his relations with his soldiers.
Lehbib Mohamed Abdelaziz was married and the father of three children: two daughters and a son.
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