Non-governmental organizations sounded the alarm on Friday before the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva over serious violations committed by polisario separatists against children and women in the Tindouf camps in southwestern Algeria.
Speaking on behalf of the Elizka Relief Foundation,Charlotte Bama denounced the forced labor of children in the Gara Djebilet mine,as well as their systematic enrollment for military purposes in the camps of Tindouf.
According to the NGO,more than 8,000 children have been drafted,some as young as 12,to carry weapons,march in uniform,and undergo military training under threat of violent punishment. These practices,described as crimes against humanity,are carried out with the tacit support of local authorities.
The foundation also condemned the separatists’ persistent refusal to cooperate with international child protection mechanisms,in particular the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict,stressing the urgent need to end impunity and safeguard the fundamental rights of children in the region.
For her part,Gajmoula Boussif,speaking on behalf of the Independent Center for Research and Initiatives for Dialogue (ICRID),drew attention to abuses linked to the so-called humanitarian program “Vacations in Peace,” used as a tool of exploitation and control over young Sahrawi girls.
She cited the case of Safia,a 28-year-old woman residing in Spain,who has been held against her will since February 2023 during a family visit to the Tindouf camps,stripped of her documents,threatened with forced marriage,and prevented from leaving the territory despite holding valid consular authorizations.
The ICRID described this case as “dramatic but not isolated,” citing other similar situations involving women being held captive,forced into marriage,or threatened.
Ms. Boussif called on the Human Rights Council to demand Safia’s immediate release,to open an independent international investigation into the abuses committed under this program,and to firmly condemn local complicity enabling such practices.
Both NGOs urged urgent mobilization to protect children and women in the Tindouf camps,who face a reality marked by violence,exploitation,and the absence of effective legal recourse.
At a high-level meeting,hosted at SSBM University on September 19,on the sidelines of the 60th session of the HRC,the Dakhla-based Center for the Prevention of Child Soldier Recruitment warned against the Polisario Front’s manipulation of human rights narratives to legitimize violence and recruitment.
The event brought together academics,civil society representatives,and international experts under the theme “The fine line between human rights and terrorism in contemporary armed conflicts.”
The Center’s president Abdelkader Filali said armed non-state groups co-opt the language of justice and resistance to justify abuses,including the enlistment of minors.
Panelists,including Dr. Blerim Mustafa and several scholars from Africa and the Middle East,cited practices such as militarized refugee camps,the strategic misuse of international law,and the dissemination of biased narratives by some NGOs and academics.
Participants urged stronger international safeguards,the creation of a monitoring group to protect children,and stricter verification mechanisms for reports submitted to UN bodies.
During the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva,multiple NGOs and human rights defenders exposed grave violations committed by the Polisario militias in the Tindouf camps on Algerian territory.
These abuses,carried out with the complicity of the host country,Algeria,were described as systematic and widespread,particularly targeting women and girls.
United News - unews.co.za