chargement...
On Saturday, the «Rabouni camp», the administrative headquarters of the Polisario Front, was home to a protest in front of the offices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Sahrawi families, mourning the deaths of their loved ones at the hands of the Algerian army, gathered to express their anger.
The turnout, however, was limited—around twenty people, mostly women and a few men. Many potential protesters were deterred by fears of retaliation from Polisario armed militias and Algerian soldiers, as well as tribal tensions. The Polisario also reportedly blocked residents of the «Dakhla camp» from traveling to Rabouni to denounce the recent killings carried out by the Algerian army.
The sit-in, held in front of a UN office, comes amid continued attacks on Sahrawis in the Tindouf camps by the Algerian army. The latest incident occurred on Friday in the «Laayoune camp», according to the Forum for the Support of Tindouf Autonomists (FPRSATIN).
Two young men from the Oulad Dlim tribe were driving in search of a missing relative under unclear circumstances when Algerian soldiers opened fire on their vehicle, disabling it. The two Sahrawis survived and managed to return on foot to the Laayoune camp, the same source reported.
A Polisario media outlet offered a different account, claiming that the group’s police had recovered a vehicle reported stolen a week earlier. Meanwhile, the «wilaya of Laayoune» justified the Algerian army’s actions by alleging the young men were suspected terrorists.
This marks the fourth such incident in a week. On Wednesday, two gold prospectors were killed in the Dakhla camp. The following day, another resident of the Tindouf camps, from the Bouihates-Rguibates tribe, was shot dead by Algerian soldiers while under his tent. That same day, a family with children was targeted by Algerian troops in the «Wad Ech-Chag» area.
The repeated incidents have sparked anger among the tribes whose members were killed by Algerian forces. On social media, Sahrawis have called for another protest on Sunday, April 13.
