The German channel Deutsche Welle Arabic's coverage of recent developments concerning the Western Sahara issue has sparked irritation from the Polisario. The public broadcaster aired a report on the decision by Syria's new authorities to close the Polisario Front's representation in Damascus. In its report, DW cited revelations from The Washington Post about the presence of Sahrawi fighters in Syrian prisons, while also recalling the historical ties between the Al-Assad family and the Polisario Front since the 1980s. The channel notably mentioned a 2012 agreement between Bashar al-Assad's regime, Algeria, and the Polisario, which—with active support from Lebanese Hezbollah—facilitated the deployment of hundreds of armed Polisario fighters to support Syrian regime forces. DW also reported that the interim Syrian president, Ahmed Al-Charaa, rejected an Algerian request to release Front members detained in Syrian prisons. This coverage by DW Arabic drew sharp criticism from a Polisario-affiliated media outlet. In an article published on Thursday, May 29, a «Sahrawi refugee» denounced what they described as the «partiality» and «bias» of the German channel, accusing it of straying from journalistic objectivity. For the record, the Polisario had already publicly condemned Deutsche Welle's coverage of the projectile attack on civilians in Es-Smara on October 28, 2023. The German daily Die Welt also faced the Front's ire for its reporting.
