The Fórum Canario Saharaui denounces the umpteenth attack by the Algerian army against the Saharawi population

The Fórum Canario Saharaui has denounced the ‘umpteenth’ deadly attack by the Algerian Armed Forces against the Saharawi population in the vicinity of the Tindouf refugee camps. 

The Forum issued an official statement strongly condemning the Algerian military offensive against young Saharawi gold prospectors in the vicinity of the Tindouf camps, in Algerian territory. 

The incident left several people dead and injured in an area where living conditions are very difficult and there are reports of political and social repression. 

The Fórum Canario Saharaui considers that ‘Algeria, as the host country of the refugee camps, has the moral and legal responsibility to guarantee the safety and well-being of the Saharawi refugees’, something that it denounces as not happening. 

Below is the official statement from the Fórum Canario Saharaui: 

Press release from the Fórum Canario Saharaui in response to the umpteenth attack on the Saharawi population by Algeria and its army 

The Fórum Canario Saharaui strongly condemns and repudiates the recent umpteenth attack by the Algerian army on young Saharawi gold miners in the vicinity of the Tindouf camps. This incident, which has left several people dead and injured, is just the latest in a long series of crimes committed against the Sahrawi population camped in Tindouf by Algerian forces. A young population that, faced with the lack of opportunities and the harsh humanitarian conditions that condemn them in life, are pushed to engage in these kinds of dangerous activities to earn a living. 

It is unacceptable that, in an area supposedly protected by agreements between the Polisario Front and the Algerian authorities, such atrocities are allowed to happen without effective measures being taken to prevent them. The Polisario Front's passivity in the face of these events is a clear indication of its inability to protect its own population, which calls into question its legitimacy as a representative of the Saharawi people's interests. 

The Fórum Canario Saharaui considers that Algeria, as the host country of the refugee camps, has the moral and legal responsibility to guarantee the safety and well-being of the Saharawi refugees. However, its actions have been more those of a repressive state than a protective one. 

Unfortunately, there are now countless cases of Algerian security forces participating in these acts of brutality against the Saharawis with total impunity, with the connivance of those who should be protecting their population, the Polisario Front. This complicity between the Polisario and Algeria turns the camps into veritable open-air prisons, where hope crumbles and despair reigns. 

Therefore, we demand: 

1. Independent investigation: we urge the various international organisations, especially the UN, to intervene so that a proper investigation is carried out into these terrible events, in order to clarify responsibilities and ensure justice for the victims. At the same time, these heinous acts must also be monitored and made public through the various global organisations for the investigation, defence and promotion of human rights. 
2. Effective protection: the Polisario Front and the Algerian government must take immediate measures to protect the Saharawi population. In this sense, we ask the United Nations, its High Commissioner for Refugees and the international community to assume their responsibilities to ensure the physical integrity of the camp population. 
3. An end to the repression: an end to the repression against Saharawi residents in the camps and respect for their fundamental rights. This repression must end on two fronts: both by the Polisario Front inside the camps, and by Algeria and its army outside. 

The Fórum Canario Saharaui shows its full support and solidarity with the families of the victims and with the entire Saharawi population that has fallen victim to these acts, in the hope that they will not be repeated. 

By way of an appendix and a reminder, we list below all the tragic incidents of this type recorded in recent years, which have been reported both by this Forum and by various organisations close to this issue. Let them not be forgotten: 

• On 20 October 2020, two young Saharawi men living in the camps who were searching for gold in a mine were attacked by an Algerian army patrol, despite hiding in a nearby well to protect themselves from the gunfire, they were eventually located by the soldiers, who threw petrol-soaked blankets into the well, burning the two young men alive and causing their almost instantaneous death. 
• On 30 March 2021, Saharawi gold miners living in the refugee camps were attacked by an Algerian army patrol. The gold miners were apparently caught off guard by the patrol and were shot at when they tried to flee unarmed, leaving three wounded of varying severity. 
• On 4 May 2021, Saharawi gold miners living in the Tindouf camps were surprised by an Algerian army patrol near the Dakhla settlement. When they tried to flee the scene, they were strafed with the fateful result of one dead, one seriously injured and two detained. 
• In the early hours of 20-21 November 2022, two Sahrawis were intercepted by an Algerian patrol while travelling in a 4x4 vehicle. Although they were unarmed and did not offer any resistance, the military opened fire, killing one and seriously injuring the other. Although it was suspected that they could have been involved in fuel smuggling, the incident was triggered when they did not stop when ordered to do so, which led the military to open fire. 
• On 28 May 2024, several young Saharawis were killed when they were attacked by an Algerian army drone. The incident took place near the Dakhla camp, 160 kilometres southeast of the Algerian city of Tindouf. According to various testimonies, fourteen people were killed or injured. 
• On 1 February 2025, several young Saharawi men from the Tindouf camps were attacked by members of the Algerian army while prospecting for gold on the border with Mauritania. The Algerian military confiscated their vehicle in the middle of the desert, and they had to flee on foot into Mauritanian territory, their subsequent whereabouts unknown. 
• Finally, this latest attack on 9 April 2025. Once again young Saharawi gold prospectors were machine-gunned by Algerian soldiers. According to the testimony of women from the camps and images recorded by them, the incident took place near the Dakhla camp, 160 kilometres east of Tindouf, leaving two young men dead and nine others injured, three of whom are in a serious condition.