On the eve of a major United Nations Security Council meeting on Western Sahara, the Polisario Front is accused of arresting and threatening Sahrawis in the Tindouf camps in Algeria over their opposition to the leadership of Brahim Ghali and their support for a political solution based on autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty, backed by the United States and other countries.
According to security sources, the arrests, allegedly carried out by Polisario militias and the Algerian gendarmerie, come amid rising tensions over the future of the Western Sahara issue and international discussions on prospects for resolving the dispute. The dissenters reportedly criticize the management of the movement led by Brahim Ghali and express support for a political settlement favoring autonomy within the framework of Morocco’s sovereignty.
Reports of threats against these dissenting voices raise questions about freedom of expression and the conditions under which opponents of the Polisario leadership can make their demands heard in the Tindouf camps.
As discussions at the Security Council approach, these allegations add another dimension to the internal tensions within the separatist movement. They also bring the rights and freedoms of the populations living in the camps to the forefront of concerns surrounding efforts to resolve the conflict.