In an absurd play that involves Algeria and its cherub, the Polisario, on the international scene, the categorical refusal to census the populations of the Tindouf camps remains a particularly tragic episode.
Conversely, Morocco is progressing with serenity and pragmatism. It offers concrete solutions, welcomed by the international community. Meanwhile, Algiers persists in blatant duplicity. She displays a pseudo-disinterest in the Sahara issue. Yet his involvement clearly shows his true intentions.
Morocco, a model of pragmatism and realistic solutions
Faced with a tangle of abuses and manipulations, Morocco remains faithful to its 2007 proposal: an autonomy initiative under Moroccan sovereignty, described as “serious and credible” by the United Nations Security Council. For decades, Algiers has dodged, circumvented and finally blocked any attempt to take a census of the populations of the Tindouf camps. However, this elementary process, recommended by the United Nations, will shed light on the true situation of these presumed refugees.
Officially, the two seniles on the balcony of the Muppets show made in Algeria continue to proclaim that Algeria is only an “observer” in the conflict. But refusing a simple count of the people it hosts on its territory under the rule of its army demonstrates to what extent it is much more than a secondary actor.
The calculation is simple: by refusing transparency, Algiers and the Polisario maintain artificially inflated figures – we speak of 100,000 inhabitants in official speeches – in order to justify massive flows of international aid, part of which mysteriously disappears. The reality? Experts estimate that the real population of the camps ranges from 20,000 to 30,000 people, a figure far removed from Algerian fantasies.
For the capos of Algiers, the Tindouf camps are not a humanitarian burden, but above all a strategic lever in its historic opposition to Morocco. By maintaining a discourse of victimization and accusing Rabat of being the source of the problem, the totalitarian regime of the two seniles of Algiers gives itself the illusion of remaining relevant on the regional scene.
But, behind this speech, hides a less rosy reality: the inhabitants of the camps are above all hostages of a cold and calculated political strategy for decades. The inability of the United Nations to impose a census in the camps demonstrates the duplicity of Algiers and the inexplicable indulgence of certain international actors. This lack of firmness allows a situation to persist in which civilians are reduced to the status of pawns in a false conflict artificially maintained as such.
Documented abuse: when suffering fuels interest
International reports continue to denounce the massive misappropriation of humanitarian aid intended for the Tindouf camps. Food and medical supplies, sent to alleviate the suffering of residents, end up on parallel markets or in the pockets of corrupt leaders. Meanwhile, the population, already trapped in geographic and political isolation, continues to suffer in silence.
Worse still, those who dare to express their desire to return to their homeland, Morocco, face brutal reprisals. Torture, forced disappearances, intimidation: so many outrageous practices which highlight the oppressive nature of the Polisario and Algeria’s failure to protect fundamental rights on its own territory.
The Algerian refusal to consider the Moroccan option illustrates its objective: to maintain a zone of real instability to weaken Morocco, even if it means sacrificing the rights of thousands of people. However, as King Mohammed VI affirmed during the commemoration of the Green March, “ it is time for the world to distinguish between a legitimate reality and a myth frozen in the past« .
The international community facing its responsibilities
The Tindouf camps issue exposes the inaction and contradictions of the international community. Repeated calls from the United Nations for a census are ignored by Algiers, without any tangible consequences resulting. However, this inaction only encourages abuses and needlessly prolongs the suffering of populations.
It is high time that international institutions take a firm position and demand an immediate census, as well as transparent management of humanitarian aid. Maintaining this status quo only benefits those who profit from human misery. The international community must choose between complicit inaction and sincere commitment to end this tragedy.
But, for this vision to become a reality, the international community must finally assume its responsibilities and force Algiers to answer for its actions. It is time to end this charade and give a voice to those who have been deprived of it for too long.
