Former Polisario leader Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud said that the Front's leadership has launched a campaign against Sahrawi activists in the Tindouf camps. In one week, two members of opposition group the Sahrawi Initiative for Change were arrested by the separatist movement's leadership. Former Polisario leader Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud urged «Sahrawi activists outside the Tindouf camps to meet in Mauritania», after two members of opposition group the Sahrawi Initiative for Change (SIC) were abducted by the Front's leadership. In a communiqué made public Tuesday, Ould Sidi Mouloud said that once in Mauritania, these Sahrawis will be heading to the Tindouf camps to protest against the arrest of the two activists. «All people must help stop the campaign launched against Sahrawi activists within the Tindouf camps», Ould Sidi Mouloud, who was expelled from the camps after supporting Morocco's Autonomy plan in 2010, said. Moreover, Mouloud, who currently lives in Mauritania, urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to protect «Sahrawi refugees» and preserve their rights. He called on Sahrawis «living abroad to protest before Algerian embassies to try to voice the sufferings of those who live in the Tindouf camps». In the same statement, published on his Facebook page, Ould Sidi Mouloud revealed that a pro-Algerian party within the Polisario's leadership is trying to silence Sahrawi activists in the camps. «Yesterday (Monday), the activist Moulay Abba Bouzid was abducted and handed over to the Algerian authorities in Tindouf, which have been torturing him since then», he alleged. A campaign lauched against Sahrawi activists in Tindouf Speaking to Yabiladi on Wednesday, Ould Sidi Mouloud said that he is currently discussing the idea of heading to the camps with Sahrawi activists and opposition groups. «These are political groups such as the Sahrawi Democratic Gathering, Khat Achahid (the Martyr's Line) and the Sahrawi Initiative for Change». He added that he has even spoken to «Sahrawis that live in Morocco's southern provinces». Asked about the reaction of both the Polisario's leadership and Algeria, Ould Sidi Mouloud said that «it is time for the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and help Sahrawi refugees». «Our mission is to expose the sufferings of Sahrawis in the Tindouf camps. Although this duty comes with a lot of risks but I believe that it must be fulfilled». Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud For the record, after arresting a member SIC, the family and relatives of another member from the opposition group said he was kidnapped. The movement said that Fadel Brika was abducted on Tuesday. Quoting «unofficial sources», pro-Polisario news outlet Futuro Sahara revealed that more arrests are expected to take place in the coming days in the camps, stressing that the Front is targeting Sahrawi activists known for criticizing the leaders of the separatist movement on social media.
