This week, disenchanted youth from Oulad Tidrarine tribe revolted against the Polisario militias, torching vehicles and exchanging fire in full media blackout by Algiers and its Polisario proxies. The protests erupted following the assassination of members of the tribe by the Polisario after they denounced the corruption of the separatist militias. In recent years, the continuous enrichment of the Polisario leadership through aid embezzlement and all sorts of trafficking has outraged Sahraoui youth in the camps triggering violent protests. Faced with dim prospects and oppression in the camps, many of the disenchanted youth held under the yoke of the Poliario militias and their mentor the Poliario turned to extremism. The case of Adnan Abu Walid Asahrawi, former head of ISIS branch in the greater Sahara, is an abhorrent illustration of how disenchanted youth under the yoke of the Polisario seek salvation by joining terrorist groups.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 29, 2024 11:13 UTC