Moroccan family flees separatists camps back to Morocco

A Moroccan family who was forcibly held in the Tindouf camps (southern Algeria) by the Polisario secessionists has fled the camps back to Morocco.

The Sheikh Dakhil family comprises the two parents and their five sons. The father used to work as an officer at the information ministry of the so-called Sahrawi republic, self-proclaimed by the Algeria-backed Polisario which claims the separation from the rest of Morocco of the Sahara. The territory was retrieved by Morocco in 1975 under the Madrid accord with Spain, the former occupying country.

Several groups of Moroccans have fled the camps after the late King Hassan II launched in the 80's the famous call "the homeland is merciful and forgetful." Some of these include top officials and diplomats who used to serve in the Polisario.