Human rights organizations denounce the recruitment and political exploitation of children in the Tindouf camps

Spanish human rights advocates condemned, on Tuesday evening in Geneva, the serious violations committed by the armed militias of the separatist Polisario Front in the Tindouf camps (southwest Algeria), particularly the military recruitment of children and their exploitation for political purposes.

• Algeria Blocks Census of Tindouf Residents for Fear of Exposing Polisario Corruption

• Algeria Blocks Census of Tindouf Residents for Fear of Exposing Polisario Corruption

The London-based newspaper Al-Arab reported statements from Judith Kasambir Segara, representative of the International Committee for the Respect and Implementation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, who expressed concern over the systematic violations of children’s rights in the Tindouf camps.

In her speech at the 58th session of the Human Rights Council, Kasambir Segara denounced “the recruitment of children from a very young age into military organizations, depriving them of their childhood and subjecting them to an ideology of hatred, which constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.”

• Ireland Refutes Algerian and Polisario Claims Regarding Ghali’s Visit to Dublin

• Spanish security unveils Polisario’s ties to a human trafficking and smuggling network

She also warned against the forced deportation of children from the Tindouf camps and their exploitation for political purposes by Algeria and the Polisario under the pretext of humanitarian initiatives, separating them from their families and using them as propaganda tools to justify an artificial conflict.

For his part, Pedro Ignacio Altamirano, president of the Altamirano Foundation, strongly criticized the way the Polisario militia manages the Tindouf camps, denouncing the “inhumane” conditions in which thousands of people live in poverty and deprivation. In a video speech broadcast during the 58th session of the Human Rights Council, he stated that “the Polisario deliberately keeps the inhabitants of the Tindouf camps in a state of misery to exploit them to the fullest extent, while its leaders live in luxury abroad, particularly in Spain,” according to Al-Arab.

• Renewal of confidence in the Sánchez Government deals a blow to Polisario’s bets

• Iran plans to expand its influence in North Africa through the Polisario

Various international reports indicate that child recruitment takes place without parental consent and that children are forced to participate in all military and political ceremonies, under threat of imprisonment or execution. This reflects the collapse of the Polisario Front’s project, which continues to fight despite lacking popular support, especially after the heavy losses it has suffered in recent years.

International organizations, such as the International Alliance for the Defense of Rights and Freedoms, a French NGO, have previously condemned these practices and called for the Polisario to be held accountable.

• Polisario Front attempts to deceive with forgeries and deception in its separatist agenda

• Polisario Leader Returns to Algeria after Spain-Morocco Row