According to reliable sources close to the inquiry, the investigation carried out about the kidnapping on November 29th of the three humanitarian people, on the Nouadhibou-Nouakchott road, tends to show that an operational support of the Polisario Front members have been brought to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Relating mainly to the location of the three foreigners itineraries, as well as to the transmission of information concerning their action in Mauritania, the support of the Front Polisario members to the terrorist organization AQIM would create a serious problem to the movement’s image, while Algeria tries by all means to give it credibility.For many weeks, the Mauritanian authorities had assisted to an escalation of fight against AQIM, with the multiplication of arrests and the strengthening of cooperation with the Niger and Mali. It was thus technically difficult for the terrorist organization to organize such a massive kidnapping without using a logistic basis acquainted with the region, and ready to form an alliance with Islamists in order to diversify their income sources.
In fact, according to the same source, a ransom request could be promptly formulated by the kidnappers, concerning the exchange of prisoners and not money, which would tend to show AQIM’s agitation, as well as the mercantile turning taken by a segment of the Polisario Front, which was up to now specialized in goods smuggling and in the transport of drugs in connection with South-American Mafia groups. Yet, for many months, fight against narcotic trafficking in the Sahel has reduced the maneuver margin of terrorists and of the Polisario Front. What remains then is to conquer the ultimate criminality bastion: kidnapping of foreigners.
According to many specialists’ point of view, the turning taken by terrorism and criminality within the Sahelian region constitutes a very important challenge to be taken up, as the constitution of an “opportunist” alliance between a segment of the Polisario Front and the AQIM could constitute a mixture extremely difficult to override, within a regional context particularly complex. Moreover, the “alchemy” in the North-West of Mauritania is very particular, as some Mauritanian activists within the Maghreb branch of Al Qaida are in close contact with drugs dealers from the Polisario who might be radicalized in front of the deadlock offered by their movement. The very short term risk is that the Polisario Front becomes the “FARC” (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) of the Maghreb, i.e. an organization which has recourse to the massive kidnappings of foreigners, in cooperation (or not) with the AQIM, some meeting a “food” obligation”, the others obeying to an ideological imperative…In the two cases, it is the stability of the Maghreb and of the world which is the loser. It would not be then the first time that the Polisario Front forms an alliance with the AQIM. On June 6th, 2005, during the attack against the military base of Lemgheity, the participation of a member of the Polisario Front, Mouawiya Ould Lamine Loubeid (dead since then) has been stated by the team in charge of the inquiry.
According to many specialists’ point of view, the turning taken by terrorism and criminality within the Sahelian region constitutes a very important challenge to be taken up, as the constitution of an “opportunist” alliance between a segment of the Polisario Front and the AQIM could constitute a mixture extremely difficult to override, within a regional context particularly complex. Moreover, the “alchemy” in the North-West of Mauritania is very particular, as some Mauritanian activists within the Maghreb branch of Al Qaida are in close contact with drugs dealers from the Polisario who might be radicalized in front of the deadlock offered by their movement. The very short term risk is that the Polisario Front becomes the “FARC” (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) of the Maghreb, i.e. an organization which has recourse to the massive kidnappings of foreigners, in cooperation (or not) with the AQIM, some meeting a “food” obligation”, the others obeying to an ideological imperative…In the two cases, it is the stability of the Maghreb and of the world which is the loser. It would not be then the first time that the Polisario Front forms an alliance with the AQIM. On June 6th, 2005, during the attack against the military base of Lemgheity, the participation of a member of the Polisario Front, Mouawiya Ould Lamine Loubeid (dead since then) has been stated by the team in charge of the inquiry.
