Algeria: Expulsion of Polisario from the African Union and designation as a Terrorist Group by the UN

The Polisario, an armed group backed by the Algerian regime in Tindouf, is set to be listed as a terrorist organization, according to analysts from the United Nations (UN), and will be excluded from the African Union (AU), according to experts. 

This terrorist organization and its leaders, who are known for their antisemitism and opposition to the State of Israel, have well-documented ties to Hezbollah, Iran’s Mullah militias, Hamas, and the former regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. 

Support for the Polisario by General Saïd Chengriha and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune dates back to their predecessors in the 1970s, during the height of the East-West confrontation, led by the USSR and Western nations. 

Despite various schemes and Algeria’s futile attempts, the Polisario has never been recognized by the United Nations as a representative of the Sahrawi population in the Tindouf camps, Algeria. This population is largely made up of Sub-Saharans rather than the Sahrawis imprisoned by the Polisario in these camps, which resemble an open-air prison.

The Polisario has revealed its true nature as a terrorist and criminal organization. Intelligence evidence shows that the group and its leaders are involved in terrorist activities alongside Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS), and will face prosecution for crimes against humanity.

The group’s criminal activities include arms smuggling and the diversion of humanitarian aid. For years, the Polisario has built connections with terrorist groups, formed by shared interests with Algerian military officers in weapons and drug trafficking, which finance their respective terrorist operations and enrich their leaders.