An Algerian prison sentence against a member of the Rguibat tribe provoked violent protests that took aim at the Polisario leadership in the Tindouf camps. Ahmed Ould Ben Ali, one of the thousands of disenchanted youths in Tindouf camps, was sentenced to 5 years in prison by the Algerian court on charges of drug trafficking. The sentence led many youths from his tribe to organize protests against Algerian authorities and their Polisario proxies, burning tires and blocking a key road. The situation is expected to worsen with the current Polisario leadership crackdown on dissident voices including those who call for compromise and back Morocco’s autonomy plan. Rights groups had repeatedly warned of the degradation of living conditions in the Tindouf camps and the UN urged Algeria to allow a census of the camps’ population.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 13, 2024 17:48 UTC