It is in a heart-sick situation and under international and domestic pressure that Algeria and the Polisario have been willing to announce the release of the Front Police Secretary-General, Moustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud on Wednesday morning, through a laconic statement from their press office. If the conditions under which he will be released are not yet known, the Polisario stated, nevertheless, that it was still in contact “with international organizations for the implementation of such a decision”, probably referring to the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) with whom negotiations would be underway according to several sources close to the Polisario leadership. According to the same sources, the decision to release Mustapha Salma was taken on Tuesday night during a stormy dinner between the Frontist officials and senior officers from the Algerian Intelligence Security Department (DRS), sent on purpose to Tindouf to investigate the situation. More than half of the Polisario officials have left this dinner after a deep disagreement with the “hard” line advocated by Mohammed Abdelaziz and DRS colonels.
Indeed, with the rise of the Sahrawi youth revolt in the camps about the issue of Moustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud, a large segment of the organization has expressed its concern about the possibility of a mass wave of departures from the Moukhayamates towards Morocco, which would be similar to the late 80s events, where we witnessed the decapitation of the Polisario Front leadership. Clinging to his armchair, Mohammed Abdelaziz had to decide to give up; not without having negotiated that Ould Sidi Mouloud should not stay in the camps, where he might become the leader of an increasingly important autonomist movement.
Meanwhile, DRS colonels hastily returned at night to Algiers to directly report to lieutenant general Mohammed “Toufik” Médiène, DRS leader, who has coordinated with Abdelaziz Bouteflika so that Algeria could keep the control of Polisario leaders tending to support independence, leaving those who want to join Morocco. According to several consistent information sources, many “autonomist” leaders of the Polisario would be currently in Spain or Mauritania, waiting to join the Kingdom of Morocco…
