Unusual air traffic to Tindouf stirs talk of Algeria staging protests ahead of Sahara vote

Unusually timed charter and commercial flights late at night from Algiers and Oran into Tindouf have raised suspicions of orchestrated mobilisation in the refugee camps of the Polisario Front, as the United Nations Security Council prepares to vote this week on a resolution expected to endorse Morocco’s 2007 autonomy plan for the Sahara.

Flight-data websites show multiple departures after 23:00 hrs from Oran to Tindouf,  for example, Air Algérie flights at 23:20 and 23:45 with arrivals around 01:20 and 01:45 local time. 

These movements coincide with mounting diplomatic momentum behind Morocco’s plan and fears that the Algerian regime is attempting to stage visible demonstrations within the camps to counter the expected U.N. decision.

According to regional observers, the timing and pattern of these flights suggest a deliberate effort to create the appearance of spontaneous “popular mobilization” inside the camps, rather than genuine grassroots protest. 

Amid this backdrop, Washington has reaffirmed its support for the Moroccan proposal. In a recent interview, U.S. presidential adviser Massad Boulos said the autonomy plan “remains the best and only viable approach” to resolving the dispute and described the U.S. position as “absolutely clear and irreversible.”

Algeria, which has backed the Polisario’s demand for a referendum including independence, is reportedly preparing for the possibility of staying away from the vote in protest, according to state-linked media, an indication of its diplomatic isolation as the Council appears poised to adopt the text.