The Reguibat tribe called for an urgent public meeting of all Sahrawis residing at the Tindouf camp following the arrest of 11 persons by the Polisario militia concerning a Polisario-owned fuel-smuggling tanker briefly detained on Thursday, said the Tindouf Autonomy Support Forum (Forsatin).
According to Forsatin, the meeting was scheduled for Saturday in Laayoune Province. Polisario members cordoned off the area slated for the meeting and deployed security forces to the remaining camps.
The forum also said that a young man belonging to the Reguibat tribe was assaulted by the Polisario gendarmerie on Saturday when he was on his way home.
It went on to add that members of the victim’s family were able to successfully identify one of the gendarmerie officers who had assaulted the youth, and proceeded to retaliate by attacking him. (By this time the Rabouni camps and the Polisario gendarmerie forces had already encircled the camp). Stone-throwing skirmishes ensued between the two parties, causing injuries.
The militias tried to prevent the gathering in an attempt to intercept the movement of groups from the other camps to the meeting place, reported the forum.