ICRC renews call for immediate release of Moroccans detained in Tindouf camps

The International Committee of the Red Cross (IRCC) has urged for the immediate release of Moroccans still detained in Tindouf camps (controlled by Algerian-backed Polisario separatist movement) and expressed extreme concern over their protracted detention.

In a statement published in New York, the ICRC says a psychiatrist and another ICRC delegate had visited from November 20 through Dec.3 the detention center where they met with 680 prisoners, including 35 civilians and were informed that one of the prisoners died and another fled. This explains why the total number of detainees went from 1,479 prisoners in May to 1,477 in December.

The UN body renews its call for an immediate release of all prisoners, starting by the most vulnerable ones, taking into account age, health status and the detention period.