Paris – The porosity of the polisario to The Unity Movement for Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), which operates in northern Mali, is a “real source of concern” for Spain which has repatriated its humanitarian workers from the Tindouf camps (south-eastern Algeria) due to “serious risks” of hostage-taking, the French speaking weekly, Jeune Afrique, said in its Monday edition.
This porosity was previously manifested in the kidnapping in the camps in 2011 of three European humanitarian, who will be released on ransom nine months later, the magazine said.
“Dozens of young people from the camps joined the MUJAO recently, added the same source, noting that the MUJAO spokesperson Abou Walid Sahraoui is also a former Polisario member.
This has led to tensions inside the Polisario leadership, as has been evidenced by the recent resignation of Haj Ahmed Barikal, so-called cooperation minister of SADR, who “denounced the embezzlement of international humanitarian aid.”
On July 29, the Spanish government decided to evacuate all its nationals from Mali due the threat of being taken-hostage.
This decision also applies to all Spaniards working with NGOs in the camps of Tindouf. In this respect, dozens of Spanish, French and Italian humanitarian workers were flown to Madrid, Jeune Afrique
recalls.
