Uprising in Tindouf camp to protest poor living conditions
Inhabitants of Smara camp, located in the Polisario-controlled Tindouf (south-western Algeria), sparked off Wednesday an uprising to protest their poor living conditions, worsened by poverty and mistreatment, witnesses said.
Inhabitants of the camps waved slogans that are hostile to the Polisario and denounced the inhuman living conditions, calling for the lift of the blockade imposed on them to be able to return to their homeland, Morocco, according to the same source.
Thousands of Moroccan Saharwis are sequestered by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front that lays claim to Morocco's southern provinces, known as the Sahara. The former Spanish colony was retrieved by Morocco in 1975 under Madrid accords.
Polisario leaders dispersed demonstrators and proceeded to the arrest of those it considered the instigators of the uprising, said the same source.
In a bid to justify the arrests, Polisario led a misleading campaign to try to convince inhabitants of the camps that the "rebel movement" is part of a conspiracy planned by Morocco.
Inhabitants, however, clang to their demands, calling for the lift of the siege on the camps, the return to Morocco and the end of their human tragedy.
The same source revealed that Polisario led on Thursday large campaigns in the camps under the pretext of searching for weapons.
The Washington-based US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) has recently deplored that the Moroccans sequestered by the "Polisario" in Tindouf camps are denied the freedom of movement.
Several demonstrations have been staged recently by Moroccan expatriates in Europe and the United States to call for the end of the misery of these populations.
In a letter addressed to Amnesty International, the local "Amal Association" urged for suing "Polisario criminals" before an international court for the crimes and genocides they have committed against the populations sequestered in the camps.
On the other hand, participants in the 2nd international Forum for the Youth and Peace, held in Laayoune, addressed on Thursday a message to Algerian president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, expressing indignation regarding Algiers' stance in the Sahara issue. Algeria, which provides military, logistic and diplomatic assistance to the Polisario, reiterated recently support to the separatists.