Polisario Confidential
by Khalid Ibrahim Khaled
Joy seems uncontainable in the ranks of the Polisario after the sacking of Saadani Ammar from his position as Secretary General of the Algerian FLN. Saadani’s eviction is presented by the regime’s cronies as a mere resignation, but nobody believes this version in Algeria.
The leader of the separatist movement Brahim Ghali could not hide his jubilation to see the Polisario’s bane finally ousted, according to informed sources in the headquarters of the separatist movement in Tindouf.
Ammar Saadani was actually worrying the whole Polisario leadership. Since his famous declaration of 9 November 2015 on Ennahar TV, Saadani became the Polisario’s most hated Algerian politician.
Was he really aware of the mess he put his foot into when he said evasively that he had “things to say” on the Western Sahara issue, but that he would not divulge them (…) out of fear to carry the country down another path?”
In any case, Saadani’s insinuation was deemed by the Algerian generals as a threat in itself.
For the military intelligence services top brass, Saadani had gone too far by suggesting in barely veiled terms that Algeria should observe neutrality in the Sahara issue. The response was not late to come. The intelligence services (DRS), now headed by Athmane Tartag, immediately fired a first salvo.
The message was then sent through a pro-Polisario website, which juxtaposed the photo of Ammar Saadani with that of former President Mohamed Boudiaf, assassinated in 1992. More than a threat, the message was a genuine warning shot.
The last straw that breaks the camel’s back was Saadani’s harsh criticism, on October 6, of General Tewfik, the former DRS boss, called “Rab Dzaïr” or Algeria’s God. With such remarks, Saadani could no longer be part of the power circle.
