It’s very ironic, and incomprehensible
that the man who is ostensibly leading the so-called nation of the
Sahara towards emancipation and liberation is himself a dictator who
continuously, and since 1975, succeeds himself in elections with only
one candidate who is himself: Mohamed Ben Abdelaziz Al-Morakchy.
The man who claims to defend the right
to self determination is depriving the Sahraoui people of Tindouf of
their right to self-determination. The destiny of the Tindouf Camps
refugees was and continues, until an unknown date, to be at the hand of
this Stalinian ‘leader’ who controls the camps with an iron fist and
prolongs the plight of the refugees under inhumane conditions in
Tindouf.
The status quo, fortunately, has started
to shake up thanks to the spirit of protest ignited by Arab
revolutions. Raised first in face of Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia
and subsequently against other dictators in the region, the famous
slogan of ‘dégage’ (leave) echoed in the ears of the Polisario leader
Mohamed Ben Abdelaziz who was surprised by more than 400 protestors
asking him to step down in protest against the conditions of extreme
poverty and humiliation in the Tindouf Camps.
According to media sources, many angry
people gathered in front of the auditorium which hosted the 43
anniversary of the so-called “Elzimlah uprising” and raised the slogan
“dégage.. dégage” before storming the hall where Mohamed Ben Abdelaziz
and an Algerian delegation were celebrating the anniversary. Embarrassed
and surprised, the Polisario leader slipped away leaving the room to
its chairs and banners! After some violent skirmishes between the angry
demonstrators and members of the security forces of the separatist
front, the bodyguards of Mohamed Ben Abdelaziz managed to evacuate him
from the room by the back door to ride his car and disappear.
It should be noted that many voices have
started to rise from within the Tindouf Camps criticizing the way
Mohamed Ben Abdelaziz manages the Camps where life gets increasingly
hellish. Khat al-Shahid (The Line of the Martyr) Movement which
announced its existence on July 4, 2004 accuses the Polisario leader of
confiscating the opinion of the Sahraoui people and propagating
corruption nepotism, and tribalism. The reformist movement asks for
drastic democratic reforms that end the monopoly of Mohamed Ben
Abdelaziz on the political scene for more than 35 years. However, the
Polisario leadership usually reacts with violence and human rights
abuses against any dissenting voices.
Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud, a
former police chief of the Polisario Front, is another political
dissident who continues to suffer exile in Mauritania away from his
family and children for expressing his support of the autonomy plan
proposed by Morocco. The Sahraoui activist who was denied the right to
re-unite with his family in Tindouf Camps started a hunger strike before
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Mauritania. After a
month of hunger, Mustapha’s health suffered severe deterioration for which he was taken to the emergency department at the national hospital in Nouakchott on Tuesday, June 18, 2013.
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