Former French Minister Points To ‘Potential Ties” Between Polisario and Terrorist Groups

Former French Interior Minister and current MEP Brice Hortefeux has warned the European Commission about potential ties between the polisario Front and terrorist groups, raising concerns within the European Union.
Hortefeux said that the Sahel and Sahara region’s situation has deteriorated recently, endangering regional and international stability. He asserted that “many criminal groups could take advantage of the lack of control in the polisario-run territories”.
In his question to the European body, the MEP also mentioned the possibility of collusion between the Polisario and terrorist groups by providing weapons, logistics and fuel to the latter.
According to him the suspected links between the polisario and terrorist groups are not new since the founders of the Islamic State in the Great Sahara (IS-GS), Abu Walid and Abu Sahraoui, were fighters in the entity.
In 2011, three EU aid workers were kidnapped byin Tindouf, where terrorists were freely moving in areas under the control of the polisario Front.
The former French minister voiced concern over the possible embezzlement of humanitarian aid money offered by the EU to the Polisario. The MEP called for an audit of these funds and specific procedures to face the possible polisario-terrorist groups link.