The Saharawi Association for the Struggle against Impunity in the Tindouf Camps (ASIMCAT) expresses deep concern about the alarming reports from the Saharawi refugee camps in Tindouf. Spanish media outlet Atalayar quoted the NGO which exposed the distressing conditions and highlighted the courageous struggles of these activists who criticize the leadership of the Polisario Front and denounce the dire human rights situation.
Atalayar’s article shed light on the systematic arrests and oppression by the Polisario Front, often with support from the Algerian military. The abduction of a Saharawi activist–known anonymously as “S.S.” –near an Algerian checkpoint in Tindouf, and the subsequent torture and detention of his sister, illustrate the gravity of the situation. Efforts to locate him thus far have proven unsuccessful.
The activist’s abduction followed his participation in peaceful protests relating to the exposure of corrupt practices by certain Polisario leaders involved in the misappropriation of humanitarian aid.
Activists call for intervention by the Human Rights Organizations worldwide to combat the mishandling–or fraudulent misdirection, to be more accurate–of humanitarian aid. Atalayar’s whistleblowing efforts surely highlight a distressing situation in the Tindouf camps and reveal an acute need for immediate international action on behalf of the rights and freedoms of the Sahrawi people.