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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
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
NGOs Expose Rights Violations in Tindouf Camps at UN Council
Doha – Several non-governmental organizations and witnesses raised serious concerns about human rights violations in the Tindouf camps in southwestern Algeria during the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. The Sahrawi NGO Promotion of Economic and Social Development (PDES) brought international attention to the concerning situation in the Tindouf camps, where thousands of people have been living in extremely difficult humanitarian conditions for nearly five decades, deprived of their fundamental rights. 'The security situation has recently significantly worsened, with an increase in criminal acts and violence, which further intensifies the suffering of the inhabitants,' declared Fatima Ezzahrae Zouhairi, an activist and member of PDES, during her intervention at the Human Rights Council session. According to Zouhairi, the absence of security and stability in these camps, combined with the lack of security and judicial mechanisms from the host country, Algeria, exposes the populations to increased risks and deprives them of any possibility of accessing protection or justice. 'Recent reports show that the geographical isolation of the camps, far from any international monitoring, contributes to aggravating these violations,' she affirmed, adding that the most vulnerable populations, particularly women and children, are especially exposed to physical and psychological violence, as well as inhumane living conditions. Lemaadla Mohamed Salem Zrug, a Sahrawi refugee representing the African Network for Development, Governance, and Human Rights (RADHEG), provided damning testimony about the suffering of Sahrawis in the camps. She denounced kidnappings, torture, extrajudicial executions, and the forced recruitment of children for military training. She also reported the impunity of Polisario officials, protected by Algerian authorities. El Fadel Braika, representing the NGO Il Cenacollo and a former Sahrawi detainee in the Polisario's secret prisons, blasted the inhumane conditions in the camps, including forced disappearances, torture, and the exploitation of child soldiers. He also mentioned repressive acts by Algeria, such as the arrests of young people attempting to flee the camps. Judit Segara Casasepare from the NGO CIRAC expressed concern regarding the recruitment of children in the Tindouf camps, who are exposed to an ideology of violence. She vilified the 'Vacations in Peace' program, which she claimed is used as 'a cover for child trafficking,' sending them abroad without guarantees of return. The NGO has asked the UN to investigate and demand accountability from Algeria. Read also: UN Sahara Report: Guterres Reiterates Concern Over Dire Humanitarian Situation in Tindouf Similarly, Abdelwahab Gain from the NGO Africa Culture International condemned the indoctrination of children and their exploitation through the same program. 'Behind this humanitarian facade, these children are often trafficking victims separated from their families,' he stated. PDES called on the international community to 'intensify efforts to ensure full respect for the human rights' of people living in the Tindouf camps. These efforts, according to Zouhairi, must include providing humanitarian aid without logistical obstacles from the host country or the separatist Polisario Front, guaranteeing freedom of movement for inhabitants, and establishing transparent monitoring mechanisms to track violations and end impunity. The organization also insisted on the need for urgent measures to end these concerning violations, secure humanitarian routes, and provide sustainable solutions for the inhabitants. In this context, they called on the High Commissioner for Human Rights to send a fact-finding mission to closely monitor the situation and provide transparent reports contributing to the protection of the rights of sequestered persons, in accordance with the Geneva Convention on Refugees. On the broader regional front, Morocco asserted its human rights commitment during the same session. Ambassador Omar Zniber declared that 'the Kingdom of Morocco, faithful to its irreversible choice to build a democratic state based on the rule of law, resolutely continues the process of consolidating its legal arsenal for the promotion of human rights.' He voiced that Morocco has presented 'two major national commitments' concerning the organization of a regional symposium to encourage ratification of the Convention against Forced Disappearances and the inscription of forced disappearance in criminal legislation as an independent crime. Additionally, some forty countries championed Morocco's sovereignty over its Sahara, with Yemen's Ambassador Ali Mohamed Saeed Majawar articulating that Morocco engages in 'constructive, voluntary, and profound interaction with the United Nations human rights system.' The group endorsed the opening of consulates in Dakhla and Laayoune, describing them as a 'lever for strengthening economic cooperation and investments, for the benefit of local populations as well as regional and continental development.' Tags: Human Rights in Tindouf Camps
