Sahara: Tindouf camps sealed by Polisario according to an NGO

The Tindouf camps, in southwestern Algeria, have witnessed in recent months growing insurrection of young Sahrawis against the Polisario, armed wing of pseudo-SADR.

The situation has deteriorated so bad that foreigners are currently escorted by the Polisario’s armed men in their movement within the camps, where a curfew has even been decreed.

The Sahrawis’ anger is fueled by the Polisario leaders’ involvement in scandals of misappropriation of humanitarian aid, their collusion with Iranian militias, acquaintances with terrorists in the Sahel region and connections with the Colombian drug cartel.

To quell the protest movement, several people have been abducted or imprisoned near Rabouni camp, according to Human Rights Watch.

Spain has recently issued a travel warning, commending its citizens to avoid trips to the Tindouf camps in view of terrorist threats. Before the warning, a Spanish teacher from the Basque country, member of an NGO working in cultural exchanges and sponsoring Sahrawi children’s holidays in Spain, had contacted his colleague to tell him about the constraints and movement restrictions in the camps.

Also, the Algerian government has issued a security alert to the UN Mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO) warning about the existence of a plan to kidnap foreigners in the Tindouf camps and areas east of the Wall of Sand.

Algiers has recommended a series of measures to protect members of the mission, according to some Algerian media. However, this warning was denied by the spokesperson of the Algerian Foreign Ministry, a new tactic that benefits the Polisario to the detriment of the Sahrawi people.

This alert to terrorism is another of the Polisario’s schemes to muzzle the Sahrawi opposition in the Tindouf camps on the eve of the elections in Algeria and the holding of the 15th congress of SADR.