فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Sahrawi human rights activists have unveiled serious human rights violations committed by the separatist Polisario Front against populations held in the Tindouf camps, during the 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva.
As part of their interaction with UN human rights mechanisms, Moroccan activists’ interventions focused on these violations, both during interactive discussions on the annual report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and during their participation in side events of this session’s program, which is being held under Morocco’s presidency.
During the discussion on mercenary activities, Hamada El Bihi, president of the Sahara League for Democracy and Human Rights, called on the international community to be more vigilant in countering “the maneuvers of Polisario mercenaries aimed at destabilizing regional stability and undermining the territorial integrity of states.”
El Bihi warned that this phenomenon particularly affects the populations sequestered in the Tindouf camps, where they are at the mercy of Polisario militias supported by the Algerian regime. He also pointed out the significant risks of young people lacking prospects in the Tindouf camps joining arms trafficking gangs active in the region or terrorist groups in the Sahel.
In the same context, the HRC session witnessed a call to action launched by NGOs urging Algeria to fulfill its international commitments as a host country in protecting the populations held in the Tindouf camps. Activists demanded an end to the abuses committed by the Polisario, with Algeria’s complicity, and the opening of judicial investigations into this matter.
In a statement to the Moroccan Press Agency (MAP), Gajmoula Boussif, president of the Sahara Observatory for Economic and Social Development, indicated that the participation of Moroccan NGOs in this session “comes as part of their interaction with human rights mechanisms to expose the flagrant violations suffered by men, women, and children in the Tindouf camps” in southwestern Algeria.
Boussif emphasized that the 57th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council is of particular importance as it is held under Morocco’s presidency. She noted that the trust placed in Morocco to chair the Council’s work reflects “the central role it plays in the field of human rights and within UN institutions.”
The 57th regular session of the Human Rights Council continues until October 11 under the presidency of Ambassador Omar Zniber, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva and the current President of the Human Rights Council for the year 2024.
