Sahrawis condemn Algerian army's killing of gold prospectors in Tindouf

In the wake of a deadly incident involving Algerian military forces, the Sahrawis for Peace Movement — a dissident faction from the Polisario Front — has issued an urgent letter to UN envoy Staffan de Mistura, decrying the fatal shooting of two young Sahrawis near the Dakhla camp in the Tindouf region of southwestern Algeria.

In the letter, Secretary General Ahmed Barikalla condemned what he described as “yet another violent assault by Algerian armed forces against young Sahrawi refugees.” The incident reportedly took place just 160 kilometers east of Tindouf, where a military patrol intercepted a group of local prospectors searching for gold.

According to the movement’s account, the Algerian unit opened fire at close range, killing two and injuring nine others, three of them critically. “These young men were simply seeking livelihoods amid the desperate economic conditions in the camps,” the letter reads, highlighting the broader socioeconomic distress facing Sahrawis.

The movement emphasized that this was not an isolated event, recalling similar incidents in 2022 and 2024 in which ten young refugees lost their lives under comparable circumstances. “Their deaths are a tragic consequence of structural poverty and lack of opportunity,” Barikalla stated.

The letter urged the United Nations, particularly the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, to step up efforts to support and protect Sahrawi refugees. It called for concrete resources and development programs aimed at curbing the conditions of despair that push young people into risky, often illegal activities — including gold prospecting, drug trafficking, or even joining extremist groups operating in the Sahel.

Barikalla also reiterated the movement’s call for a more inclusive and democratic approach to the Sahara peace process. He asked that the Sahrawis for Peace Movement be recognized as a legitimate third party and included in future negotiations led by the UN, as the mandate of MINURSO (the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara) nears its final phase.

The movement has previously petitioned de Mistura to include alternative Sahrawi voices in the stalled peace process, arguing that a fresh political vision is necessary to resolve the decades-old regional dispute and alleviate the long-standing humanitarian crisis in the Tindouf refugee camps.

This latest appeal adds further pressure on international actors to reassess the security and humanitarian situation in the Algerian-run camps, as well as to reinvigorate a political dialogue that has languished for years.