Lahbib Ayoub

Lahbib Sid Ahmed Aouba, known as Lahbib Ayoub (1951 – 1 November 2022) was a Western Saharan militant and co-founder of the Polisario Front. He led many conflicts with the group before joining Morocco in 2002.

Biography Ayoub was born in Tifariti, Spanish Sahara in 1951 and served in the Spanish Army.

Polisario leader In 1973, Ayoub became a founding member of the Polisario Front (PF), which aimed to free Western Sahara from Spanish and Moroccan rule. He was close with El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed, who would later become President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, and sat on PF's executive committee from 1976 to 1989. He then became Minister of the Occupied Territories (territories in Western Sahara controlled by Morocco).

Departure In 2001, Ayoub's disagreements with Sahrawi President Mohamed Abdelaziz on relations with Algeria led him to depart from the PF.