The Polisario Front is facing mounting internal dissent after the release of a scathing document that accuses the group’s leadership of political stagnation, nepotism and failure to deliver on decades-old promises.
The document, titled “An Open Petition to the National Elites and the Sahrawi Masses,” was authored by a group of Sahrawi intellectuals, diplomats and former officials. It calls for an emergency congress to overhaul the movement’s leadership, which it describes as a “closed family enterprise” beset by patronage and political inertia.
The rift comes as the group prepares to mark the 52nd anniversary of its founding, once celebrated as a symbol of resistance, now overshadowed by disillusionment and internal decay.
In Laayoune, the largest city in Morocco’s southern provinces, journalists from the news outlet Hespress reported a lack of public celebrations for the anniversary. Critics say the muted response underscores a growing disconnect between the leadership and its popular base.
“What was once ‘the voice of the people’ has now become the silence of those who abstain,” one observer said.
Hamdatt Lahcen, a researcher specializing in international relations and the Sahara conflict, called the petition a “clear indicator of internal fracture.” He said the movement has lost strategic direction and become increasingly dependent on Algeria’s military establishment.
“The leadership is aging and recycling itself, while financial and moral corruption are on the rise,” Lahcen said. “There is no political roadmap, no viable strategy on the ground and no hope, especially among the youth and educated classes in the camps.”
Lahcen said the crisis is now chronic rather than episodic, pointing to repeated defections and rising calls for reform. He said the latest petition reflects growing pressure to dismantle tribal and patronage-based leadership structures.
Didi Bibout, a historian of modern North Africa, said the Polisario’s credibility has been eroded by longstanding human rights concerns and the lack of legal status for Sahrawis in Algeria’s Tindouf camps.
“These grievances span generations,” Bibout said. “What’s changed is the collective realization that the status quo cannot continue.”
Bibout said Algeria’s control over the camps and the Polisario’s suppression of dissent have historically stifled reform efforts. He cited the violent incidents of 1988 and more recent leadership elections as examples of failed internal dialogue.
He added that calls for change from within the camps and among Sahrawi diaspora communities signal a broader shift. Many young Sahrawis no longer identify with the Polisario’s ideological narrative and increasingly view it as an obstacle to progress.
“This is not a passing protest,” Bibout said. “It is the early stage of a rebellion against an ideology that has dominated Sahrawi lives for over 50 years.”
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