Tindouf camps witness clashes over detained Sahrawi

The Tindouf Autonomist Support Forum (FORSATIN) reported clashes between armed Polisario militias and a tribe in the Tindouf camps in a press release. The unrest apparently stemmed from the anger of a Sahrawi man (identified as «Ahmed Ali») residing in Spain being sentenced to five years in prison upon his arrival at the camps to visit family.

The tribe contesting the sentence, claiming a case of mistaken identity, demanded his release and staged peaceful protests in the Rabouni camp, the Polisario's administrative hub. However, the Polisario leadership allegedly used force to suppress the protest, leading to a confrontation with the detainee's family.

This incident bears resemblance to the April 2023 arrest of Mohamed Salem Souid, another Sahrawi residing in Spain.