Latest news with #SahrawiMovementforPeace
Morocco World
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Bloodbath in Tindouf: MSP Denounces Algerian Army's Civilian Killings
Doha – The Sahrawi Movement for Peace (MSP) thundered against the Algerian regime following the cold-blooded murder of two young Sahrawis by Algerian soldiers in the Dajla refugee camp, 160 kilometers east of Tindouf. In an urgent communiqué addressed to the United Nations and MINURSO, the MSP excoriated the 'flagrant violations of the most fundamental human rights' that 'can no longer be ignored,' demanding immediate intervention to protect civilian refugees held hostage on Algeria's territory. 'A new tragedy has struck our people: two young Sahrawis were coldly murdered by Algerian soldiers in the refugee camp of Dajla,' the MSP declared. 'Lamentably, these atrocities are not isolated incidents. The Sahrawis living in the camps are victims of frequent shootings, intimidations and violent repressions by Algerian forces.' The movement warned that 'this situation has generated a climate of insecurity and constant fear, endangering the daily lives of innocent civilians.' This savage killing adds to a bloody series of assaults where the Algerian military systematically targets defenseless Sahrawis. Mere days before, Algerian troops gunned down Sid Ahmed Belali and wounded nine others near the Gara Djebilet mine, leaving three clinging to life in critical condition. Raw video footage captured enraged protesters confronting their oppressors, with desperate refugees threatening to escape to Morocco, screaming at Algerian soldiers: 'Do you want us to go to Morocco? You're killing our children here in cold blood.' The MSP's desperate plea crashes against a backdrop of intensifying global condemnation of the Polisario Front, which rules the camps as Algeria's puppet regime. American Enterprise Institute scholar Michael Rubin demanded the UN strip recognition from the Polisario as Sahrawi representatives, denouncing the separatist group as 'a vestige of the Cold War' that 'no one has ever elected' and that brutally 'holds wives and children as hostages to prevent refugee resettlement.' Tindouf's open-air prison The catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Tindouf exploded into international view last month at the 58th UN Human Rights Council session, where multiple NGOs unmasked the horrific reality of systematic kidnappings, torture chambers, child exploitation, and cold-blooded extrajudicial executions rampant throughout the camps. Eyewitnesses testified that 'the geographical isolation of the camps, far from any international monitoring, contributes to aggravating these violations,' with defenseless women and children bearing the brunt of 'physical and psychological violence, as well as inhumane living conditions.' Former detainee El Fadel Braika condemned the 'inhumane conditions' in the camps, including forced disappearances and exploitation of child soldiers, while other organizations accused the Polisario of using programs like 'Vacations in Peace' as 'a cover for child trafficking.' The MSP vehemently demands inclusion in the UN-led political process on Western Sahara, declaring itself the true voice for 'an important part of the Sahrawi population that aspires to a negotiated political solution, away from the violent methods of the Polisario Front.' 'This peaceful and moderate movement represents a significant portion of the Sahrawi population,' stresses the MSP communiqué. 'The exclusion of this realistic and constructive voice would only perpetuate the status quo and the suffering of our people,' the movement thunders, hammering that 'lasting peace in the Sahara will not be possible without justice, truth, and a sincere commitment to human rights.' 'We also call on the international community, human rights organizations, and the media to break the silence, denounce these acts of violence, and support the Sahrawi people in their legitimate aspiration for peace and dignity,' the MSP implores in its desperate appeal. World powers rally behind Morocco The MSP's urgent appeal comes as influential US Congressman Joe Wilson spearheads a Republican initiative in the Senate to designate the Polisario Front as a terrorist organization, and as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has explicitly hailed Morocco's Autonomy Plan as 'the only basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute.' Under Secretary Lisa Kenna reaffirmed Washington's position that 'genuine autonomy under Morocco's sovereignty is the only feasible solution' to the Western Sahara issue. Just this week, a cascade of European countries reaffirmed support for Morocco's Autonomy Plan, with France, Spain, Estonia, Moldova, and Croatia all backing Rabat's proposal during Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita's diplomatic tour across Europe. This diplomatic tsunami against Polisario gained further momentum when UN Personal Envoy Staffan de Mistura abruptly abandoned his earlier partition proposal, now acknowledging Morocco's Autonomy Plan as 'the only viable path to a lasting and politically feasible resolution' of the decades-long conflict. With international sentiment increasingly favoring Morocco's Autonomy Plan and MSP emerging as a legitimate alternative to the Polisario, pressure is mounting on the Algerian regime to answer for its brutal treatment of Sahrawi refugees under its control. Read also: Captain Ali Najab, A Hero Who Exposed the Darkness of Polisario's Crimes Tags: Algerian Armyhuman rights in the Tindouf campsPolisario Front
Morocco World
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
US Think Tank: UN Must End Recognition of Polisario as Sahrawi Representative
Doha – The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) scholar Michael Rubin has urged the United Nations to cease recognizing the Polisario Front as the legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people, describing the group as 'a vestige of the Cold War' in a policy analysis published on April 7. In his latest piece, Rubin challenged the international community's stance on Polisario's legitimacy, asserting that 'no one has ever elected them to such a position and no one has given the Sahrawi any say.' The scholar described the emerging Sahrawi Movement for Peace as a more legitimate alternative, pointing out that the group has already secured recognition from Socialist International and growing support from the Spanish government. 'The Sahrawi Movement for Peace not only rejects violence but also seeks consensus across broad segments of the Sahrawi population,' Rubin wrote, contrasting this approach with the Polisario Front's continued advocacy for armed conflict. The movement, which first endorsed Morocco's autonomy proposal in its 2022 Canary Islands Manifesto, reconvened recently at the same location to produce a second manifesto calling on 'the UN Secretary-General to persuade his Personal Envoy to invite and include the Sahrawis for Peace Movement as a fully recognized interlocutor in the political process.' In examining Spain's shifting position, Rubin noted that while Madrid has traditionally favored the Polisario Front 'due both to bitterness at the loss of its colonial Western Sahara holdings to Morocco and Spain's reliance on Algerian gas,' the current Spanish government has begun reaching out to the Sahrawi Movement for Peace The analysis also advanced a stark warning about MINURSO's role, with Rubin proclaiming that 'President Donald Trump has little patience for the waste of international assistance or those who use funding to preserve terrorism rather than bring peace.' Read also: US Institute of Peace: 'Western Sahara Conflict is Over, Negotiating Terms is Next' For Rubin, the 34-year-old UN entity represents 'a multibillion-dollar failure' that 'has yet to achieve even the first stage of its mission to conduct a referendum.' He urged President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to demand that UN Secretary-General António Guterres immediately terminate recognition of the Polisario Front as the Sahrawis' representative. This latest analysis follows Rubin's March piece in the Washington Examiner of the AEI, where he condemned MINURSO's continued operation as undermining US foreign policy interests. Characterizing the Polisario as a 'Marxist' group that 'holds wives and children as hostages to prevent refugee resettlement' in the Tindouf camps, Rubin advocated for an end to funding what he described as 'legacy peacekeeping missions that preserve conflict' following Trump's decision to impose tariffs on UN operations. The Atlantic Council, through journalist Sarah Zaaimi, echoed these concerns in an April 10 analysis depicting MINURSO as losing ground and operating in 'spectator mode.' The think tank's report concluded that the UN mission now only serves to maintain a 'state of paralysis throughout the years.' These calls come as US Under Secretary Lisa Kenna reaffirmed today Washington's position during talks with UN Personal Envoy Staffan de Mistura, declaring that 'genuine autonomy under Morocco's sovereignty is the only feasible solution' to the Western Sahara dispute. Secretary Rubio conveyed the same stance during his meeting on Tuesday with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, with the top US diplomat explicitly hailing Morocco's Autonomy Proposal as 'the only basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute.' The growing scrutiny of Polisario coincides with mounting pressure in Washington, where influential Congressman Joe Wilson is spearheading a Republican initiative in the Senate to designate the separatist group as a terrorist organization. Tags: Polisario FrontWestern sahara
