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Thirty members of the Polisario’s Gendarmerie have been participating to a sit-in held since, Thursday 6th of September, in front of the Front’s «Defense Ministry» in Rabouni.
They are protesting against the condition of an army school where they had to spend an internship period, reports Futuro Sahara, a Front online newspaper close to Mohamed Lamine Ould El Bouhali, one of Brahim Ghali’s biggest rivals.
The facility, according to the same source, has no electricity, water or food. «It’s an insult», they told the online newspaper. So, they decided to protest against the poor working conditions.
Conflicts in the Front
Their anger is far from being an isolated case. This body was considered under the control of Mohamed Abdelaziz, as an elite unit in the Polisario to the point that it is consisted of 700 members.
The former leader of the Polisario had opened a school he called «Sam Nujoma» to train members of the Gendarmerie. He had also named his eldest son as head of one of its units. Senior officials in the Front had followed suit, such as former «Prime Minister» Taleb Oumar who is currently operating as the Front’s representative in Algeria.
When Brahim Ghali took the lead of the Front, the number of the Gendarmerie’s members shrunk, reaching only 120 men, said the same source, quoting one of the protesters.
The sit-in, held yesterday, showcases the conflicts witnessed inside the Polisario’s leadership, especially between the «Defense Ministry» and the «Walis of the regions». They want to take advantage of the body that is trained and equipped to establish their authorities and grow their businesses.
One year before the death of Mohamed Abdelaziz, the Gendarmerie was headed by members of his family who had not hesitated to use this body in tribal conflicts, including the clashes that occurred in April 2015 in «Aoussered» camp between his tribe and another rival.
