The population held in abject conditions in Tindouf camps have staged protests against the military siege imposed by the Polisario leadership, which has been trading in their suffering for decades. A video posted on le360.ma shows the violence used by the Polisario militias to disperse the grieving population, which denounce the corruption of the Polisario leadership and the abject living conditions prevailing in the camps. From humanitarian aid embezzlement to slavery and forced disappearances, Algeria has abdicated its responsibilities and forsaken a civilian population to the mercy of a separatist militia. On Tuesday (March 7) the Sahrawis staged simultaneous sit-ins in Tindouf and Madrid to protest against yet another violation of refugee rights, as the camps population holding Algerian passport are summoned to hand over these travel documents upon their return from abroad. The protestors, denouncing the measure as restriction of movement and discrimination, threatened to resort to “stateless status”, for lack of “refugee status” that guarantees freedom of movement, under the Convention of 28 July 1951.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 10, 2017 16:17 UTC