Tindouf

According to the report by the European strategic intelligence and security (ESISC), lack of democracy and an oppressive climate under the leadership of the Polisario front, has led to several members leaving the refugee camps in Tindouf, most of them joined Morocco, and the rest opt for to go either to Mauritania, Spain, or to other European countries.

Global Voices in English » Western Sahara: Landmine Injures Five During Peaceful Protest 2009

Some Sahraoui refugees in Tindouf said that they have to obtain an authorization from the Polisario leadership headquarters in Rabouni camp to leave only to Mauritania; others said they got the approval at the border, provided they mention that they are actually going for a visit to Mauritania.

Global Voices in English » Western Sahara: Landmine Injures Five During Peaceful Protest 2009

Blogger Sahara Ocidental, who is based in Tindouf, is one of the only bloggers discussing the incident.

Global Voices in English » Western Sahara: Landmine Injures Five During Peaceful Protest 2009

The process of defection from the Tindouf camps and rallying to Morocco started in practical terms at the end of the fighting, hundreds of sahraoui refugees have decided to leave Tindouf and to return to Morocco, among them political and military leaders, head of tribes, and hundreds of Polisario army officers of all levels.

Global Voices in English » Western Sahara: Landmine Injures Five During Peaceful Protest 2009

As reported by Al Arabiya News, "Spain appeared to have switched gear on its long-time policy regarding the Western Sahara conflict when it called Tuesday for a U.N. committee to evaluate the security situation in the Polisario-controlled refugee camps in Tindouf and probe possible corruption in the distribution of international aid there."

Joseph K. Grieboski: The Story Behind the Western Sahara Kidnappings Joseph K. Grieboski 2011

Instead, after such an audacious act as the abductions, the Algerian Government must take responsibility for the people in the camps, agree to a political solution to the Western Sahara conflict and guarantee that the refugees in the camps in Tindouf no longer face the threat of kidnapping or worse.

Joseph K. Grieboski: The Story Behind the Western Sahara Kidnappings Joseph K. Grieboski 2011

Algeria must now acknowledge that the safety and security of the Tindouf region is not what they and the Polisario have historically claimed it to be.

Joseph K. Grieboski: The Story Behind the Western Sahara Kidnappings Joseph K. Grieboski 2011

Another possible way to leave the Tindouf refugee camps is the UN – administered program of family visits.

Global Voices in English » Western Sahara: Landmine Injures Five During Peaceful Protest 2009

Like John the Baptist, many of us working on the issue of refugees in southern Algeria felt like lone voices in the wilderness when calling attention to the dangers and threats facing the people imprisoned in "refugee" camps in and near Tindouf, Algeria.

Joseph K. Grieboski: The Story Behind the Western Sahara Kidnappings Joseph K. Grieboski 2011

Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez told reporters, "We have asked the United Nations to send a mission to Algeria to assess the security situation in the camps of Tindouf."

Joseph K. Grieboski: The Story Behind the Western Sahara Kidnappings Joseph K. Grieboski 2011