Morocco's appeal for release of Moroccans in Algeria triggers undiplomatic response from Algeria
Algerian delegate to the 61st session of the UN human rights commission reacted in an undiplomatic way to an appeal launched on Tuesday by Morocco for the release of Moroccan prisoners held in the Tindouf camps, in Algeria.
The Algerian official's statements came after Moroccan justice minister, Mohamed Bouzoubaa, urged on Tuesday the UN commission to launch an appeal for "the total, immediate and unconditional release of Moroccans detained in Tindouf" (southern Algeria), insisting that the imprisonment of 408 persons "is a blatant breach to the international humanitarian law norms."
The official recalled the international community that these prisoners have been held for over a quarter of a century in degrading and inhumane conditions. The death of a former Moroccan prisoner shortly, after his release on January 22 together with a companion, shows how anachronistic, unbearable and inhumane the imprisonment conditions are.
Despite a UN-brokered cease-fire in 1991, 408 Moroccans are still held captive in the Tindouf camps (southern Algeria) by the Algeria-backed Polisario separatists which want to separate this territory from the rest of the Kingdom.
The Algerian delegate, who noted that the Moroccan minister mentioned Algeria, repeated before the plenary session the same old allegations that the Sahara issue is a decolinization issue and that the Moroccan prisoners are held by the Polisario, omitting to say that these detainees are imprisoned on Algerian soil.
However, Morocco's ambassador to the UN answered that the Moroccan justice minister never cited the name of Algeria but mentioned Tindouf because it is a reality that Moroccan prisoners are detained there for over 25 years.
If Algeria is so fond of not tarnishing its reputation, it should release these detainees because, otherwise, Morocco will continue to cite Tindouf as long as this plight continues and the name of Tindouf will be forever tied to the longest human tragedy in modern times
The Moroccan diplomat further made it clear that the Algerian delegate is confusing between political and humanitarian aspects of the issue, arguing that while the political aspect is being examined in New York, the issue of the 408 Moroccan prisoners, which is a humanitarian one, falls within the competence of the human rights commission.
"Who is the Polisario, who is financing it, who is arming it and who is supervising it?" he asked giving at the same time the universally-known answer that it is the Algerian military. He said since the Moroccan prisoners are held on the Algerian territory Algeria is greatly responsible for the current situation.
"All that Algeria has to do if its name is no longer to be associated with this tragedy is to release the 408 Moroccan prisoners and open the camps where Moroccans are sequestered," he concluded.
