Hypocrisy of vindication: Tindouf, human rights and complicit silences

There are several reasons for this, but one of the main ones is the intentional symbiotic confusion between the ‘Polisario Front’ and the ‘Sahrawi people’, which the Polisario itself uses to disguise itself as a victim that only corresponds to the latter, and which at the same time it has cleverly sold abroad over the decades. All of this is aimed at confusing public opinion and its potential targets. Although the latter, who are given to romantic and militant imbecility in great profusion, did not need much convincing. 

Based on decades of distorted narrative from the Polisario to its upstart acolytes, in which Morocco is presented in this story as the scheming villain and the only one violating human rights, many people on this side of the Strait believe that nothing happens in the Tindouf camps or that everyone is a victim. Conveniently manipulated, they do so in deep ignorance or worse, in some cases, in the darkest of conspiracies. But no, they are not all victims. There are also executioners, perhaps too many of them. 

This wilful omission is aggravated by Algeria's complicity, which not only allows but facilitates this unbreathable atmosphere, although the situation is now worsening to unsuspected limits. The reality in Tindouf is increasingly bleak. The testimonies of repression and violence are chilling. According to recent reports, Sahrawi activists are harassed, arbitrarily detained and subjected to torture by the Polisario Front police. One of the most recent cases is that of Mahmouda Hameida Said, a victim of abuse and imprisonment by the Polisario authorities. Another even more egregious example is that of the young Awsard, whose throat was brutally slit and abandoned in a rubbish bin a few weeks ago. 

These practices not only violate the most basic rights, but also perpetuate a constant state of fear among the refugee population, who are caught between the sword of repression and the wall of a resounding international oblivion towards their repressors. For despite numerous denunciations and appeals to international human rights organisations, the global community continues to look the other way. Human Rights Watch and others have been repeatedly urged to intervene by organisations such as the Movement Saharawi for Peace, but their response has been at best lukewarm and at worst non-existent. This apathy is alarming and raises serious doubts about the real commitment of these organisations to the defence of human rights. 

Amidst the shadows of this tragedy, the case of the gold diggers stands out as yet another example of the helplessness and despair that is suffocating the people of Tindouf. In their desperate search for a livelihood, these brave people face exploitation and violence, becoming victims of a system that condemns them to oblivion. 

In fact, as I write this, there is tragic and chilling news. An Algerian army drone has just killed three Sahrawis and wounded fourteen others south of Dakhla camp. They were gold diggers from the Tindouf camps. Such attacks are not new. Between late 2020 and early 2021, several young Sahrawis were killed by Algerian forces while panning for gold, some even burned alive. 

As if it were a bad joke, Algeria, which presents itself as a bastion of support for the Sahrawi cause, in reality uses the refugees as pawns in its geopolitical game against Morocco. The situation in Tindouf is a reflection of this cynical and ruthless policy. Algerian security forces engage in these acts of brutality against the Sahrawis with impunity, with the connivance of those who should be protecting their population. This collusion between the Polisario Front and Algeria turns the camps into veritable open-air prisons, where hope crumbles and despair reigns. 

Meanwhile, in Spain, certain political and media sectors have chosen to unconditionally support the Polisario Front, turning a blind eye to its crimes. The Polisario's media satellites, known to all, have been consistently critical of Morocco, but have rarely denounced the repression in Tindouf. This selective and biased stance, fervently denouncing alleged human rights violations in Morocco but conveniently ignoring the atrocities committed by the Polisario in Tindouf, reveals a double standard that undermines the credibility of Spanish journalism and politics, while perpetuating the suffering of a significant part of the Sahrawi population. 

The latest toast to the sun was offered by Sumar's candidate for the European elections, Estrella Galán, promising to travel to Western Sahara after the elections with the supposed intention of verifying whether Morocco respects human rights in the region. But when will she travel to Tindouf with the same intention? It will not happen. The Polisario, in its disguise as a victim, has long had them fooled by what is going on there, when they are not fooling themselves. 

Algeria's role and the silence of the international community on this issue are not isolated phenomena, but are part of a web of political and economic interests that prioritise geopolitical agendas over human rights. This reality must be vehemently and unambiguously denounced. We cannot allow the defence of human rights to become a matter of political expediency. 

There is an urgent need to put an end to this deafening silence. The European Union, the United Nations and the international courts must take concrete measures to investigate and punish human rights violations in a place as opaque as Tindouf. Similarly, diplomatic pressure on Algeria and the Polisario Front must be intensified to guarantee the protection of the Saharawis' fundamental rights. 

In this context, it is pertinent to recall the words of Martin Luther King Jr: ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere’. The case of Tindouf is a grim reminder that the struggle for human rights is universal and cannot be subject to double standards. Repression in the camps must not be ignored or minimised. It is an affront to human dignity that demands a firm and decisive response. Truth must prevail over propaganda, and justice must triumph over impunity, where respect for human rights is not an aspiration but a reality for all, without exception.