The Polisario dissident Mustapha Salma is a case revealing systematic human rights violations in Tindouf camps; the latter which are firmly controlled by the Polisario, with the blessing of Algeria, the country hosting the movement, and from which Mustapha Salma was forced back, far from his children and his family. The unforgivable “transgression” which has led to the ejection of the former Polisario executive from Tindouf camps towards Mauritania under the HCR supervision, was his publicly expressed support to the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Western Sahara. After months of patience in Nouakchott, Mustapha Salma weary of waiting without any likely solution, has decided to protest through an open sit-in in front of the HCR office in the Mauritanian capital.

After one month sit-in, he has received the support of a group representing associations and personalities from the civil society who showed solidarity with his fight to join his family in Tindouf camps. The visit of this group was the occasion to remind the HCR of its responsibility to look with the Polisario and Algeria for a solution to this question of a humanitarian aspect. The objective is to allow Mustapha Salma to join as he wishes, his children and other members of his family who are still retained in Tindouf camps. The group of sympathizers believes that this struggle is also the responsibility of international NGOs which were already mobilized, in particular Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, till the release of Mustapha Salma in December 2010. At present, the objective is to organize a new mobilization of human rights defenders to allow the dissident to join his family and to guarantee to him as well as the rest of the Sahrawi population in Tindouf, the right to freedom of expression and movement.