Latest news with #FORSATIN
Morocco World
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Unrest, Violence in Tindouf Camps Threatens Lives of Sahrawi Women and Children
Rabat – Videos are going viral online of ongoing unrest and the use of live ammunition in the Tindouf camps, with mounting concerns about the situation of Sahrawi women and children stranded in the increasingly deserted Polisario-run camps. One of the viral videos shows an armed man using a rifle-like gun and shooting from a building's roof. The Forum for the Autonomists of Tindouf (FORSATIN) reported on the unrest last week, noting that the camps witnessed incursions by a group of 'thugs and criminals affiliated with one of the drug trafficking gangs.' Panic and terror The group had launched an attack on members of a rival gang as part of a 'violent score-settling operation,' the source said, noting that the camps turned into a battlefield using live ammunition in residential areas. 'This caused panic and terror among residents, forcing them to hide and barricade themselves in their shelters for hours while armed gangs roamed freely and exchanged gunfire in broad daylight,' FORSATIN reported. The Algerian army remained silently stationed just meters outside the camp, FORSATIN said, noting that the Algerian regime only exerted force on 'innocent travelers and those moving in and out of the camp.' Tribal elders in the camps voiced concerns and protests against the gangs and accused the Polisario leadership of turning a blind eye to the alarming development. 'The goal, they argue, is to intimidate the population and force them into submission, reducing their demands to basic security needs, and distracting them from voicing political opposition or protesting against the Algerian army and the Polisario gang,' the same source added. Polisario's deepening legitimacy crisis The chaotic scenes in the camps come as Polisario is facing backlash due to the escape of its members to Morocco. Three members of the separatist group fled to Morocco in April, waving a white peace flag to return to the North African country. The escape of the three Polisario members also came amid wide frustration as the Algerian regime killed civilians in the Tindouf camps, sparking uproar and concerns among Saharawis. Videos online showed porters angrily demonstrating against the deadly attack, threatening to move to Morocco. 'Do you want us to go to Morocco?… You're killing our children here in cold blood,' a civilian is heard crying out to Algerian soldiers. An Algerian soldier is then heard telling him, 'Go!' In April, reports also conveyed the population backlash and frustration across the camps after the Algerian regime attempted to kill two young Saharawis. The Algerian army opened fire at the young men. 'One of the soldiers ordered them to stop, but the driver panicked, recalling what had happened in the 'Dakhla camp,' where the Algerian army mercilessly killed two young men,' FORSATIN said last month. Algeria consistently refused demands for a general census in the camps. Former members of the Polisario leadership have suggested that this refusal stems from concerns that only 20% of the population in Tindouf are Sahrawis, while the rest come from other tribes, including Algeria. The refusal to carry out an official census comes as Sahrawis in the camps face inhumane conditions, including food and aid shortages linked to ongoing embezzlement of funds and aid directed to the population. The dire situation has been long confirmed by the UN Secretary General, who warned against the conditions under which Sahrawis live, and malnutrition that expands anemia and other diseases among children and women. Another evidence is the latest appeal by the UNHCR, which called for increased support to Sahrawis. A UNHCR Representative in Algeria echoed the appeal on Tuesday, stressing that the UN body needs $100 million per year to provide 'adequate assistance to Sahrawi refugees.' With the latest videos documenting the unrest and clashes between gangs, it is expected that demands to designate the Polisario Front as a terrorist group will increase. Many high-profile politicians have been shedding light on how the Tindouf camps serve as a fertile ground for drug trafficking and terrorism related crimes. Tags: human rights in the Tindouf campshuman rights in Tindouf
Morocco World
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Three Polisario Members Escape Tindouf, Flee to Morocco
Rabat — Three members of the Polisario Front have escaped the Tindouf camps in Algeria in an effort to flee to Morocco this week, waving a 'white peace flag,' according to The Forum for the Autonomists of Tindouf (FORSATIN). The source said the three individuals planned the escape operation for 'some time and were waiting for the right moment to execute it.' One of the members informed his family of his decision to flee the camp, FORSATIN said, noting that the escape comes as a 'stark declaration of the growing dissatisfaction' among militia members. FORSATIN continued that the escape also came to refute claims about its so-called war, adding that those who escape Tindouf are in contact with hundreds of Polisario militia members who are ready to flee the camps en masse as soon as an opportunity arises. The escape came after news broke out of the Algerian regime's shooting of Sahrawis in the camps earlier this month. Reports said Algeria's regime killed civilians in Tindouf, and injured several others. Videos online showed porters angrily demonstrating against the deadly attack, threatening to move to Morocco. 'Do you want us to go to Morocco?… You're killing our children here in cold blood,' a civilian is heard crying out to Algerian soldiers. An Algerian soldier is then heard telling him, 'Go!' This month, there has also been backlash and frustration across the camps after the Algerian regime attempted to kill two young Saharawis. The Algerian army opened fire at the young men, who were driving in a Mercedes. 'The two young men were surprised by an Algerian army patrol, which was unusual in that location. One of the soldiers ordered them to stop, but the driver panicked, recalling what had happened in the 'Dakhla camp,' where the Algerian army mercilessly killed two young men,' FORSATIN said. Both the driver and his companion decided not to comply with the instructions out of fear, recalling the murder of the two young men who were killed. In response, the Algerian regime's patrol fired mercifully at the vehicle, shattering the front and rear windshields. In March, FORSATIN also condemned the kidnapping of an elderly man who appeared in a new video calling for his son's intervention. In the video, the man said he is suffering a 'slow death' for something he did not do, urging his son to intervene if he is still alive or dead. 'This statement suggests that the elder can no longer bear the captivity and is pleading with his son, even if deceased, as a sign that he can no longer endure his abduction and is turning to the dead for help to end his suffering,' FORSATIN wrote. A lack of official numbers The UNHCR has consistently shared unofficial data on Sahrawis in the camps based on approximate forecasts and estimations, as Algeria's regime continues to hamper and refuse to allow the UN body to carry out a legitimate census. UNHCR estimates that there are around 90,000 people in the Polisario-run camps. Former Polisario leaders turned critics have long shared several reasons why Algeria and the Polisario are refusing to allow a census in the region. Hamada El Bihi and Mustafa Salma, both former high-ranking officials in the separatist group, have argued that Polisario and Algeria refuse a census because only 20% of the camps' population is actually of Sahrawi origin. The former Polisario members indicate that 80% of the population in the camps consists of Tuareg people originating from countries across the Sahara desert, including Niger, Chad, Mali, Algeria, and Libya. Several bodies, including the UN Security Council, have appealed for an official census to identify the real number of Sahrawis in Tindouf camps. Resolution 2602 called for an official registration of people in the camps, a demand that was quickly and swiftly dismissed by both the Polisario Front and the Algerian regime. Tags: human rights in TindoufPolisario and Algeria
Morocco World
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Algerian Regime's Army Continues to Target Sahrawis Amid Protests, Backlash in Tindouf
Rabat — Tindouf camps continue to reel from the inhumane situation Sahrawis face, especially as Algeria's regime, in addition to the Polisario Front leadership, continues to deprive the refugees of their fundamental rights, including freedom of movement. The latest controversy that sparked anger and frustration across the camps is the Algerian regime's involvement in the killing of young Sahrawis after the army opened fire against them. Protests swamped the camps after the Algerian regime killed at least one man, while nine others were injured, three of them critically. Several videos online showed protesters angrily protesting the deadly attack. Despite the ongoing backlash, Saturday last week marked another attempt at assassination after the Algerian regime opened fire against two young Saharawis on Friday. The Forum for the Autonomists of Tindouf (FORSATIN) talked about the story of the two young Sahrawis, where the two young men were on a trip in a Mercedes car. 'The two young men were surprised by an Algerian army patrol, which was unusual in that location. One of the soldiers ordered them to stop, but the driver panicked, recalling what had happened in the 'Dakhla camp,' where the Algerian army mercilessly killed two young men,' FORSATIN said. Both the driver and his companion decided not to comply with the instructions out of fear, recalling the murder of the two young men who were killed. The Algerian regime's patrol, however, fired mercifully at the vehicle, shattering the front and rear windshields. I also hit one of the tires and damaged the car's exterior, the source added, noting that the two young men managed to continue driving for about a kilometer until the car broke down, forcing them to get out and flee on foot. Their relatives responded to the assassination attempt by protesting, expelling the patrol, and seizing their vehicles to prevent further harm to other Sahrawis. FORSATIN took issue with how the Algerian regime has not been deterred by the protests that came in response to the killing of one Sahrawi and the injuries to several others recently. 'It seeks that the Algerian regime and its soldiers have no regard for Sahrawi lives. This situation calls for the Sahrawis to unite and organize to stop this blatant aggression against innocent people,' FORSATIN added, adding that the situation further proves the Polisario leadership's weakness in the face of the Algerian regime, whose officers, soldiers, and patrols roam the camps with no respect for its Sahrawis. Several reports continue to draw attention to the deteriorating living conditions of Sahrawis in Algeria's Tindouf camps. The international community's inaction compounds this situation as an additional concern. In 2023, a report from the World Food Program confirmed the inhumane living conditions Sahrawis face in the camps. 'For the past 45 years, the population living in the camps has continued to suffer food insecurity and malnutrition, with high rates of anemia due to the scarcity of fresh and diverse food and the limited access to water, and therefore continues to depend on external food assistance,' the report recognized. Several other reports over the past decade also linked the distressing situation in the camps to Algeria and Polisario's embezzlement of international humanitarian aid meant for the Sahrawi population. One of the reports documenting this was from the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) in 2015. Notably, the report showcased embezzlement of aid between 2003 and 2017 and exposed Polisario's direct involvement in selling humanitarian aid in Algerian, Mauritanian, and sub-Saharan markets without any intervention from Algeria, the Tindouf camps' host country. Tags: human rights violations in tindouf
Morocco World
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Kidnapped Man Pleading for Help Sparks Concerns About Deteriorating Situation in Tindouf
Rabat – New reports have expressed concerns about the repeated and systematic kidnapping cases in the Algeria-controlled Tindouf camps. A new report from the Sahrawi Autonomy Support Forum (FORSATIN) has condemned the kidnapping of an elderly man, who appeared in a new video calling for his son's intervention. FORSATIN said the man asks his son to give the gang who kidnapped him 'what they want or to hand over the individuals involved in stealing their goods.' In the video, the man said he is suffering a 'slow death' for something he did not do, urging his son to intervene if he is still alive or dead.' 'This statement suggests that the elder can no longer bear the captivity and is pleading with his son, even if deceased, as a sign that he can no longer endure his abduction and is turning to the dead for help to end his suffering,' FORSATIN wrote. The outlet further stressed how Sahrawi residents of the Polisario-run Tindouf camps are 'currently in shock and disbelief' following the release of the new video, calling for urgent intervention to save his life. FORSATIN also cited information that suggests the involvement of a prominent Polisario leader with the kidnapping gang, which led the separatist group to distance themselves from the issue. 'This has become no secret, as many Polisario leaders are involved in drug trafficking, smuggling, and employing criminals and outlaws to transport and distribute drugs while providing them full protection,' the forum added. The camps, where the correct number of Sahrawis is unidentified due to Algeria's refusal to allow a census, experience similar crises in their daily lives. Many protests took place in the camps to condemn the systematic kidnapping of Sahrawis, including former leaders from the separatist group. Some of the protests took place to lash out at the Polisario leadership for the unsolved case of Ahmed El Khalil, a Polisario member who went missing for more than 16 years under unknown circumstances. Many Sahrawis have been condemning his disappearance without a clear response from the leadership. His family has been putting pressure on the separatist group, condemning the mysterious disappearance of their family members. Earlier this month, a Sahrawi NGO called Promotion of Economic and Social Development shed light on the dire living conditions in the camps due to an increase in criminal acts and violence. 'Recent reports show that the geographical isolation of the camps, far from any international monitoring, contributes to aggravating these violations ,' member of the NGO Fatima Ezzahrae Zouhairi said during her intervention at a recent Human Rights Council session. The most vulnerable populations, particularly women and children, are especially exposed to physical and psychological violence, as well as inhumane living conditions, she said. Tags: France and Tindoufhuman rights violations in tindouf camps
Ya Biladi
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
A march in Tindouf to denounce abductions by Polisario leaders
The Tindouf camps witnessed a protest march on Tuesday, March 18, against the kidnapping of Sahrawis by armed groups linked to drug trafficking, according to the Forum for the Support of Tindouf Autonomists (FORSATIN). The abduction of Fadili, an octogenarian who has been held for over four months, served as the catalyst for the mobilization. His kidnappers operate openly, even allowing their hostage to plead in videos shared on social media for his son to return the drugs he allegedly stole from the traffickers in exchange for his release. Your browser does not support the video tag. Despite this alarming situation, the Polisario leadership remains silent. No investigation has been launched to locate Fadili, a lack of action that was strongly criticized during Tuesday's march. Growing voices in the Tindouf camps, through audio messages, have accused a senior official of the Front's armed militias—reportedly close to Brahim Ghali—of leading the gang responsible for the abduction. During the demonstration, a family member of the hostage spoke out, condemning «a crime that cannot be tolerated» and calling for unity against the Polisario leadership's suspicious silence, according to FORSATIN.
