New York, Oct 5, 2011 – The polisrio separatists pose a serious threat to stability in the Sahelo-Saharan region due to its proven ties with Latin American drug traffickers and terrorist groups, International expert on terrorism and organized crime, Jose Maria Gil Garre, said on Tuesday in New York.
Speaking during a debate of the UN General Assemblys 4th Committee, Garre presented some of the conclusions of a four-year long study on international crime, saying that Latin American drug cartels are seeking new trafficking routes to Europe through western Africa and the Sahel.
These international drug traffickers made of the Sahelo-Saharan region their new route to Europe, he said, adding that the existence in the region of weak governments and corrupt groups, such as the polisario, provides a golden opportunity for the drug cartels to exploit.
Garre, who is also Chairman of the Eurogroup, called on the UN not to turn a blind eye to the Sahara issue, accusing the polisario leaders of perpetuating the conflict to enrich themselves. Today, the leaders of this group are millionaires, he said.
Warning of the terrorist threat in the Maghreb, the Spanish expert said that the best way to counter this danger is through direct and sincere cooperation between Morocco and Algeria.
