The Tindouf camps are facing a serious security breakdown. This follows a surge in armed clashes between drug trafficking gangs in the «Laayoune» camp. The incident sparked widespread anger and quickly led to popular protests. In response, Polisario leaders have resorted to conspiracy-laden rhetoric, blaming external actors for fueling «sedition». Seventy-two hours after armed clashes broke out in the «Laayoune Camp» in Tindouf between drug trafficking gangs, Polisario leader Brahim Ghali convened an emergency meeting with senior figures from the movement and militia officials. According to a statement from the separatist front, Ghali urged attendees to «stand united and resilient against all conspiracies and plots woven by the enemy and its allies to wipe out the Sahrawi people». He also stressed the need to «eradicate security breaches, legal violations, and the negative phenomena that have recently taken root in Sahrawi society». Residents of the «Laayoue Camp» had been gripped by panic days earlier following a shootout between rival drug gangs. The absence of Polisario militias and Algerian army forces sparked a wave of anger that quickly turned into protests demanding protection and security in the camps. From internal crisis to external blame In response, Musa Salma, the Polisario's «Minister of Culture», published an article addressing the incident. Rather than acknowledging the militia's absence, he attempted to shift the blame to Morocco, accusing it of trying to «plant poisoned daggers among us» and incite internal collapse. He described the current moment as critical, warning against «traitorous gangs and drug and arms networks being exploited by the occupying power to attack our honor and unity from within». This was not an isolated event. Violence and crime have become common in the camps. «Laayoune Camp» witnessed similar armed confrontations in August last year, amid ongoing corruption and criminal activity. High-ranking Polisario officials have been repeatedly linked to drug trafficking and smuggling, creating an environment where criminal gangs operate with direct or tacit protection. Amid the deteriorating security situation, Polisario dissident Said Zarwal, now based in Sweden, called on Algeria to abandon its insistence on «self-determination». He warned that «clinging to self-determination is essentially burying the remaining refugees in the Hamada desert with no real prospect of determining their fate». «To be realistic», he added, «self-determination in Western Sahara is impossible. France didn't agree to a referendum in Algeria until it had suffered military defeat—something entirely absent in the Sahrawi case». Zarwal urged Algeria to pursue a solution that preserves «the dignity and interests of the Sahrawi people—before it's too late». He appealed directly to President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Army Chief Saïd Chengriha, warning them not to «listen to the Polisario leadership, which prioritizes its own survival over the wellbeing of the Sahrawi people».
