Security in the Sahara and Sahel: The growing threat from the Polisario-run camps at Tindouf

Keywords: Western Sahara, Morocco, Polisario Front, Sahel, AQIM, MUJAO, terrorism,

By the Moroccan American Center for Policy*

There is overwhelming evidence that members of the Polisario-run camps near Tindouf, Algeria, are fighting alongside al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Movement for United and Jihad (MUJAO) in northern Mali and continue to engage in drug and arms trafficking across the Sahara/Sahel. Recent reports confirm that the Polisario-run camps near Tindouf have not only become a recruiting ground for terrorists and traffickers operating in the region, but also a potential safe haven for jihadists driven out of northern Mali by French and African forces.

On May 22, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace released a new book, “Perilous Desert: Insecurity in the Sahara,” reporting that AQIM had found “an attractive base of supporters and recruits” in the Sahara/Sahel region. It cited increasing encroachments by the group into Libya, Mali, Mauritania, and the Polisario-run refugee camps at Tindouf, which the book called “a powder keg waiting to explode.”(1)

A week earlier, the UN Security Council warned that an “Arc of Instability” was stretching across the region, which, if left unchecked, “could transform the continent into a breeding ground for extremists and a launch pad for larger-scale terrorist attacks around the world.”(2)

These warnings followed earlier reports about the extent of Polisario members’ involvement in terrorism and human trafficking in the region. On April 16, Agence France Press cited reports from an African soldier that jihadists in northern Mali were attempting to reorganize in neighboring countries, including in the Algerian camps of the Polisario Front.(3) According to the soldier quoted by AFP, MUJAO members had fled to the Algerian camps of the Polisario Front.

On March 15, Mali’s Foreign Minister Tieman Coulibaly confirmed that “Polisario elements from the Tindouf camps have been identified with MUJAO fighters operating in northern Mali,” adding that Polisario militiamen were recruited and paid monthly “salaries ranging from 200 to 600 euros” to fight for the AQIM-affiliated MUJAO. A Polisario Front member was also among seven militants captured in the battle that killed AQIM leader Abou Zeid on March 1.(4)

These developments and the region’s descent into instability and terrorist violence have only heightened the urgency of negotiating a solution to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara – a long-running conflict that has significantly hampered regional cooperation to combat terrorism. This urgency was recently recognized by UN leader Ban Ki-Moon, who on April 9 called for urgent international efforts to end the conflict in Western Sahara amid fears that the war in Mali will spread to the region.

In a report to the 15-member Security Council, Ban argued: “The growing instability and insecurity in and around the Sahel require an urgent resolution of this long-standing dispute.”(5)

The UN report added: “All governments consulted expressed serious concerns about the risk that fighting in Mali could spill over into neighbouring countries and contribute to the radicalisation of refugee camps in Western Sahara,” which one government leader in the region called “a ticking time bomb”.

A review of documented incidents and expert reports confirms that Polisario-run camps are becoming a recruiting ground for AQIM, a hub for opportunistic Polisario members who smuggle weapons through the Sahel and drugs to Europe, posing a threat to the region’s security and the Arab Spring reforms. The most significant of these recent developments include:

 Polisario members fight alongside AQIM and MUJAO in northern Mali and are involved in terrorist incidents across the region – On February 4, 2013, Malian Foreign Minister Tiéman Coulibaly confirmed the presence of Polisario fighters among terrorist groups in Mali. He noted that members of the Polisario militia had been recruited to fight as mercenaries for MUJAO. His statement confirmed earlier reports that as many as 300 Polisario members were fighting in northern Mali.(6)

 Polisario Front members have developed high-level ties with al-Qaeda leaders operating in Mali. On March 1, 2013, Le Figaro and France 24 reported that a Polisario Front fighter was among seven militants captured after the battle that killed top al-Qaeda leaders, Abou Zeid.(7)

 The Polisario-run camps near Tindouf, Algeria have become a recruiting ground for traffickers and terrorists – In December 2012, CNA Strategic Studies warned that “there is evidence that AQIM has infiltrated the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf, and there are indications that Sahrawis from these camps have joined terrorist groups based in Mali.”(8)

The CNA investigation described the threat as a “direct concern for the security of Western Sahara, Mauritania, Morocco and Algeria,” not to mention U.S. interests in the region.

According to the May 2013 book “Perilous Desert” by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, disaffected youth and Polisario fighters are increasingly being recruited by AQIM and a large network of regional drug traffickers. It also says that “there is mounting evidence of dangerous ties between criminal organizations, AQIM, and the Sahrawi refugees in Tindouf.”(9)

 Polisario-linked drug and arms trafficking rings operate in the Sahel – Over the past two years, Algeria, Mauritania, and Mali have arrested dozens of Polisario members who were caught leading or running major drug and arms trafficking rings in the region. These rings are linked to AQIM and South American cartels involved in transatlantic drugs-for-arms trafficking with end markets in Europe and the Americas.

Recent estimates of the value of this trade are nearly US$1 billion annually.(10)

In September 2012, a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace report detailed the extent of Polisario involvement, implicating Sahrawi networks with close ties to Polisario in the drug and aid trade that is responsible for much of the region’s organized crime. The report notes: “In the triangle between Mauritania, Mali, and Algeria, Sahrawi networks—often with the direct involvement of officials in the Polisario movement, which seeks independence for Western Sahara—trafficked subsidized Algerian goods and humanitarian aid south and cigarettes north to Algeria and Morocco.”(11)

Furthermore, a February 2013 IUCTS study cites intelligence reports confirming that al-Qaeda “has established links with Latin drug cartels to smuggle ‘drugs for weapons’ through terrorist networks that include members of the Polisario Front” in Algeria.(12)

Polisario Recruits Conducted and Assisted in AQIM Kidnappings – On October 23, 2011, Polisario insiders allegedly assisted an AQIM splinter group in the kidnapping of three Western aid workers from Polisario-run refugee camps near Tindouf, Algeria.(13) The Spanish aid workers were held for 9 months and released for an alleged $18.4 million ransom. Due to insecurity in the camps, Spain evacuated all of its aid workers in July 2012, citing “well-substantiated evidence of a serious increase in insecurity in the region” and “the serious risk of further kidnappings.”(14)

1) Wehrey, Frederic and Anouar Boukhars, eds. Dangerous Desert: Insecurity in the Sahara (Washington: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2013).

2) “’Arch of instability’ over Africa could, if left unchecked, turn continent into launch pad for larger-scale terrorist attacks, Security Council says.” UN News Centre, May 13, 2013, .

3) Daniel, Serge. “Defeated in Mali, Islamists begin to reorganize.” Agence France Presse, April 16, 2013, < http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130416/defeated-mali-islamists-begin-reorganise.>

4) “Minister Malien: The Polisario book of MUJAO mercenaries against menstruation of 600 euros.” LeMag, March 16, 2013, .

“The minister of business affairs: ‘Le soutien et l’aide du Maroc au Mali sont determinants pour nous’. » AtlasInfo, February 4, 2013, .

“Mali: fighter from Aqmi, he reports the death of Abu Zeid.” Le Figaro, March 1, 2013,

5) Witcher, Tim. “Ban says Western Sahara at risk of being dragged into war in Mali.” Agence France Presse, April 9, 2013, .

6) “Le ministre malien des Zakenzaken: ‘Le soutien et l’aide du Maroc au Mali sont déterminants pour nous’. » AtlasInfo, February 4, 2013, .

7) “Mali: fighter from Aqmi, he reports the death of Abu Zeid.” Le Figaro, March 1, 2013, .

8) Volger, Sarah. “Security Challenges in Libya and the Sahel.” CNA Strategic Studies, December 2012, .

9) Wehrey, Frederic and Anouar Boukhars, eds., Perilous Desert: Insecurity in the Sahara (Washington: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2013). April 2013. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

10) “Ban calls for impetus in fight against organised crime in West Africa and the Sahel.” UN Press Centre, 21 February 2012, .

11) Lacher, Wolfram. “Organized Crime in the Sahel-Sahara Region.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, September 2012, .

12) Alexander, Yonah. “Terrorism in North Africa and the Sahel in 2012: Global Scope and Implications.” Potomac Institute for Policy Studies/International Law Institute, February 2013, .

13) “Three Al-Qaeda hostages captured alive last week: mediator.” Agence France Presse, October 30, 2011, .

14) “Spain evacuates aid workers.” BBC, July 28, 2012, < http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19034164>.

*The Moroccan American Center for Policy is a Moroccan lobbying organization active in the US.

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