Rabat – The Algerian army killed three Sahrawi gold miners near the Algeria-controlled Tindouf camps run by the Polisario Front separatist group on Tuesday, May 28.
The Forum for the Autonomists of Tindouf (FORSATIN) reported on the killing on Monday, saying that an Algerian aircraft “bombed a large group of unarmed Sahrawis” near the Tindouf camps.
“The brutal bombing targeted a civilian car, resulting in the death of three individuals,” the same source added.
FORSATIN reported the attacked Sahrawis were “trying to make a living and cope with the harsh conditions in the camps, where unemployment is rampant amid Algerian security restrictions and a blockade by Polisario militias.”
Sahrawis, who have been facing dire conditions in the camps, are not allowed to leave the Tindouf camps as the separatist group –under Algerian regime restrictions– prohibits movement outside without a permit.
“The pressure on Sahrawis has intensified in recent years, deeply affecting residents in the camps,” the forum added, noting that the Algerian regime relentlessly bombed and attacked unarmed Sahrawis attempting to make a living.
The forum further stressed that the Polisario Front remains silent about the systematic killings of hundreds of young Sahrawis carried out by the Algerian regime.
This is not the first time Sahrawis have faced similar cases amidst the dire conditions they face in the camps.
Earlier this month, a similar case took place, and division broke out in the camps following reports of a child’s murder by a group of gang members.
FORSATIN reported on the case, stressing that the camps were shaken by the new crime following the murder of a young boy who was slaughtered in cold blood.
The news forum suggested that the gangs hire young children in their suspicious operations like drug trafficking and spying.
“Crimes in the camps have reached an unbearable level, as after the theft of the residents’ property and the robbery of their tents, and the employment of young people in international smuggling, it was the turn of children to be new victims of the failure of the Polisario Front to secure the camps,” FORATIN argued.
The United Nations has frequently acknowledged the dire situation and challenges that the Sahrawis face in the Algeria-controlled Tindouf camps.
In October 2023, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ annual report on the Western Sahara warned about the “further deterioration of the humanitarian situation” in the camps.
Some of the prevailing challenges are water scarcity, food shortages, malnutrition, and extreme weather, in addition to environmental degradation and lack of adequate housing.
Youth in the camps are also facing militarization, with several reports continuously linking the Polisario Front and Algeria to humanitarian violations against Sahawri children.
