5 days ago
Polisario : Growing calls for arms from Algeria
Algeria, once seen as a steadfast ally, is no longer enjoying unanimous support within the Polisario Front, especially among its more radical factions. This internal dissent was recently illustrated by a statement from Rachid Zineddine, the son of a prominent figure from Naama and a well-known journalist in the Tindouf camps.
«We no longer want statements of solidarity or condemnation, we want weapons. If we had been armed, we could have avoided this situation. They [the Moroccans] have humiliated us», Zineddine declared in a video shared on social media. Based in Spain, Zineddine had pledged in 2021 to document the Polisario's «war» against Morocco on video, a promise that remains unfulfilled.
This isn't an isolated voice. A few months ago, Bachir Mustapha Sayed broke a long-standing taboo within the movement. During a closed-door meeting of the Polisario's general secretariat in February, he openly criticized Algeria's refusal to provide military support. «The Algerians don't want the conflict with Morocco to escalate beyond a certain point that could jeopardize their own interests», said the brother of the Polisario's founder.
For context, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had admitted, ten days after Donald Trump's inauguration in 2021, that «the Sahrawis are demanding weapons that we refrain from supplying for the moment».
