The Fórum Canario Saharaui denounces new human rights violations in the Tindouf camps

The Fórum Canario Saharaui (FCS) expresses its strongest condemnation and deep concern regarding the murder of the young Sahrawi Rahmani Ahmed Ould Taoumi in the Tindouf camps, located in Algerian territory. The events described, initially reported by the Sahrawi Association Against Impunity in the Tindouf Camps (ASIMCAT), constitute a serious warning about the deterioration of the human rights situation in these camps.

According to the information gathered, Rahmani Ahmed Ould Taoumi was arrested on 27 December in the Smara camp by individuals linked to the Polisario Front and subsequently taken to Rabouni, where the headquarters of this organisation is located. There, he was subjected to acts of extreme violence that ended his life. The young man's body was later buried in an isolated area, without the presence of his family or the intervention of any independent judicial or forensic authority, which reinforces the suspicion that this was an operation designed to cover up the crime.

The Fórum Canario Saharaui considers that the silence surrounding the case until the family learned what had happened reinforces the perception of an environment of fear, pressure on witnesses and lack of transparency. This Forum shares ASIMCAT's rejection of the impact that such practices have on an already vulnerable refugee population.

Likewise, the Fórum Canario Saharaui emphasises that this case is part of a broader context that it has been documenting for years: extrajudicial executions and forced disappearances of Sahrawi civilians in the Tindouf camps, with a particular focus on young people considered to be critical or dissidents. Other recent incidents include the murders of Fdili Ould Mohamed Ould Elbachir and Sidahmed Ould Ballali, also attributed to armed elements linked to the Polisario Front and carried out in a context of impunity and a lack of guarantees.

In line with ASIMCAT's argument, the Fórum Canario Saharaui recalls that the Polisario Front, as an armed non-state actor with de facto control over the camps, must be held accountable for the abuses committed by its members and affiliated structures. At the same time, Algeria, as the host state and holder of jurisdiction over the territory where the camps are located, has clear obligations under international law to protect and prevent human rights violations in Tindouf. That is, to protect all persons under its jurisdiction, prevent serious violations such as extrajudicial executions, and ensure prompt, independent and effective investigations when unlawful killings occur. Something it has never done to date.

For this reason, the Fórum Canario Saharaui joins ASIMCAT in calling on the United Nations human rights mechanisms — in particular the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; the Special Rapporteur on Torture; and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances—to promote an international, independent and impartial investigation into the murder of Rahmani Ahmed Ould Taoumi, to exhume the body with full forensic guarantees, and to determine responsibilities at all levels of the chain of command and cover-up.

The Forum insists for the umpteenth time since its foundation in 2007 that the Tindouf camps cannot continue to be a space of impunity outside the effective protection of human rights. Justice for Rahmani Ahmed Ould Taoumi is part of a broader demand for truth, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition for all Sahrawi victims of serious rights violations that repeatedly occur under the terrifying and deadly umbrella of the Polisario Front.