Revolution against ‘corrupt’ Polisario regime

‘The Youth of the Sahrawi Revolution’ calls for March 5 protest to reform ‘corrupt’ Polisario Front leadership in refugee camps.

Middle East Online

By Saad Guerraoui - LONDON

Abdel Aziz long rule under the spotlight The separatist Polisario Front is facing a mounting criticism on social media by its own youth who are emboldened by the popular uprisings across the Arab world. A group of young Sahrawis of refugee camps have issued a call via social networks to stage protests against corruption with the Polisario leadership on March 5. The movement, which calls itself “Juventud de la Revolución Saharaui” (The Youth of the Sahrawi Revolution), calls for reforming the Sahrawi system and corrupt leadership and reviving the values of the Sahrawi revolution. The Polisario regime has been leading a broad campaign to discredit the revolution group, especially among public opinion, taking advantage of refugee camps’ isolation from the outside world amid the absence of Internet in them, said the movement’s statement. "As corrupt regimes tired to distort the Arab youth-led revolution in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, the Sahrawi regime tries and some of its aides are trying to engage in this campaign. Thus, we condemn this blasphemous campaign and announce to the local public and international opinion our commitment to staging a peaceful demonstration on March 5 in front of the presidential palace. Our silence on the current situation is a betrayal of the souls of the martyrs and an insult to our people’s sacrifices," added the statement. The protest will coincide with the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the first Saharawi government. Some activists claimed that the Polisario leadership threatened to arrest and jail those who will take part in the protest. The revolution group warned the leadership against any irresponsible crackdown on protesters. It called for the support of all international human rights organisations, and urged them to heed the special circumstances in the Saharawi refugee camps. The Executive Committee of Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro expressed its full solidarity with the "The youth of the Sahrawi Revolution" initiative to "achieve justice, democracy, change and reform within the Polisario Front." The Committee said that the challenge of youth to Polisario's leadership is "the only hope left, after the leadership tried to kill hope and dream,” urging protesters not to be scared as “they will fall like leaves.” Morocco annexed Western Sahara after Spain withdrew in 1975. The Algeria-back Polisario Front has demanded a self-determination referendum, while Morocco has offered greater autonomy. Front guerrillas fought Moroccan forces until a UN-brokered ceasefire came into effect in 1991. However, no progress has been made in bringing the two sides together. The latest round of talks in New York between the Polisario Front rebels and the Moroccan government failed to end their three-decade-old deadlock. The Sahrawi refugees’ plight has seen relatively stagnant for the last 35 years due to the lack of basic facilities in the camps. Sahrawi activists accuse Polisario leader Mohamed Abdelaziz of neglecting their case and engaging in pointless political maneuvering. They criticised the leadership’s way of handling the financial aid donated by Algeria and other international organisations, accusing a number of leaders of profiteering and corruption at the expense of the refugees.