A Sahrawi human rights organization has reported mounting popular unrest in the Tindouf camps, where dozens of detainees have launched strong protests against the Algerian army and the Polisario Front militias, voicing a growing desire to return to Morocco.
In a statement received by Assahifa on Thursday, the Moroccan Organization for Human Rights and Environment—a body made up of natives from Morocco’s southern provinces—said demonstrators in the camps are openly calling for repatriation to Morocco. The group described the protests as “a direct message underscoring the rising internal rejection of the prolonged siege and marginalization imposed by the Polisario Front with the backing of the Algerian regime.”
Citing sources inside the camps, the organization reported a state of alert among Polisario militias following the demonstrations, noting that a violent crackdown ensued. The repression reportedly left 2 civilians dead and resulted in injuries and arrests among the protesting youth.
The statement stressed that these developments reflect “the growing discontent within the camps, particularly as living conditions worsen under rampant corruption, mismanagement, and a total absence of hope for a dignified future.” It added that many residents are now willing to risk their lives either to flee or to demand the right to return to their homeland, the Kingdom of Morocco.
According to the same source, several Tindouf-based activists affirmed that the protests are the culmination of years of neglect and exploitation, “while the Sahrawi cause continues to be used as a bargaining chip on the international stage, and camp residents are subjected to conditions akin to mass detention.”
With neither the Polisario Front nor Algerian authorities commenting on the situation, the Moroccan Organization for Human Rights and Environment strongly condemned what it called “the reckless disregard for the lives of the forcibly detained in the camps of humiliation and shame.”
The organization outlined several steps it plans to take, starting with urging the United Nations Security Council and Human Rights Council in Geneva to open “an urgent, independent, transparent, and impartial international investigation to identify those responsible for the deaths of innocent Sahrawi civilians whose only fault was being held against their will in camps that offer none of the basic human dignity every person deserves, and being systematically prevented from returning to their homeland, the Kingdom of Morocco.”
The group also called for a greater focus on “promoting the status of Sahrawi women and children, and establishing an environmental and social framework that preserves the dignity of the Sahrawi population as a fundamental component of Morocco’s deep-rooted national identity.”
It further urged civil society and human rights actors—both domestically and internationally—to “unite efforts in exposing the heinous practices and grave violations committed by the Polisario Front in collusion with the Algerian regime against the sons and daughters of Morocco detained in the shameful camps.”
Finally, the organization expressed its intention to contact national and international bodies to expedite the implementation of a mechanism to register and account for the detainees. It emphasized the need to enforce accountability for the handling and distribution of international aid received by Algeria on behalf of the Polisario Front, alleging that much of this aid is looted and resold on the black market, with large sums embezzled by the ruling factions controlling the Tindouf camps.
