VZCZCXYZ1148
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAS #1117/01 3500921
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 160921Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY ALGIERS
TO RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 9254
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 3169
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8239

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 001117 

SIPDIS 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/15/2019 
TAGS: PREF PREL PHUM PBTS MARR PTER AG MO UN
SUBJECT: POLISARIO RESTRICTS ACTIVITIES SEEN TO THREATEN 
NATIONALIST GOALS 

REF: ALGIERS 1082 

Classified By: Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Bosshart. 
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 

¶1. (C) Summary: Embassy contacts with UNHCR and American 
NGOs working in the Polisario camps near Tindouf say that 
individual Sahrawis have been involved in smuggling 
activities, but the Polisario "government" severely 
punishes anyone caught trafficking persons or weapons that 
could aid terrorists. Polisario also restricts the 
refugees from accessing extremist websites in the camps. 
All such activities are seen as harmful and a liability to 
the Polisario's political goals. Extremists in the region 
have issued threats against Westerners residing in the 
camps of which the extremists have informed the Polisario. 
They perceive the Sahrawi people as too close to the West 
and not pious enough, in part, these contacts believe, 
because Sahrawi religious leaders have encouraged Western 
NGOs to participate in seminars on inter-faith dialogue and 
women's issues. End Summary. 

Polisario Reacts Harshly to Trafficking of Weapons, Persons 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 

¶2. (C) Political officers met in Algiers on December 7 
with XXXXXXXXXXX church in Wisconsin that 
participates in educational and gardening projects in the 
Sahrawi refugee camps. XXXXXXXXXXX assessed that some 
Algerians and Sahrawis participate in smuggling activities 
in and around Tindouf and in Western Sahara. However, the 
Algerian government and the Polisario Front respond harshly 
to any involvement in the trafficking of weapons, persons, 
or drugs. They view such activities as a major liability 
to the Polisario's nationalist cause and demands for 
Sahrawi self-determination. XXXXXXXXXXX said that sometime 
in the past year, the Algerian government detected three or 
four 4x4 vehicles that it believed were transporting 
smuggled goods from Mauritania to an AQIM stronghold south 
of Tindouf. With the Polisario's approval, two Algerian 
attack helicopters fired on the vehicles to send a message 
to Sahrawis and Algerians not to engage in similar 
dealings. He told of a Spanish man who paid some Sahrawis 
to smuggle his 14 year old "girlfriend" out of the camps 
via Mauritania, and said that when the Sahrawi government 
found out, everyone involved was severely punished and 
thrown in a "dark cell." He assessed that the Polisario is 
fairly good at controlling the territory it administers but 
that, like Algeria, it cannot monitor every inch of such a 
vast land. 

¶3. (C) XXXXXXXXXXX said that Algeria and the Polisario turn 
a blind eye to the smuggling of products such as cigarettes 
and diesel and that the eastern part of Tindouf is known as 
"Kandahar" because of the large black market there for 
smuggled goods. He said that he sees many Algerians 
participate in the trade. Algerian registered cars are 
often seen driving off the road, probably transporting such 
goods. (Note: Residents and workers in the camps have 
Sahrawi-registered plates.) The Algerian government is 
building more roads in the area and will soon require 
people to use specific routes to travel to Tindouf 
(Algeria), Mauritania, or other places, in order to stem 
the transportation of smuggled goods. He said that it is 
hard to know where the items originate. Locals view the 
borders as artificial, and there is a lot of corruption and 
smuggling on both sides of the Algerian-Moroccan border. 
Echeverria commented that the Sahrawis look at the Algerian 
army officials who control checkpoints on the roads near 
the camps with respect, but see the Algerian gendarmes that 
monitor the border with Morocco as corrupt and incompetent. 

Polisario Increases Security Measures Amidst Extremists' 
Threats 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 

¶4. (C) The American NGO workers told Poloff that Islamic 
extremists have issued threats against Westerners residing 
in the camps of which the extremists have informed the 
Polisario. The extremists appear to believe the Sahrawis 
cater to the West and are not pious enough. They are 
incensed by the fact that many American NGO workers are 
connected with U.S. churches and for several years have 
participated in annual interfaith dialogue seminars at the 
invitation of Muslim religious leaders in the camps. 

Nevertheless, they said there have been no incidents 
against Westerners in the camps, despite the fact that 
extremist bases are not far away. The Sahrawi are very 
protective of the foreign workers and at times have 
supplied extra security to the foreigners traveling outside 
the camps. (Note: The NGO contacts could provide no 
addition information on the location or identity of the 
extremists.) 

¶5. (C) XXXXXXXXXXX, for security reasons and 
because of informants for the Polisario and Morocco on both 
sides of the berm, the Polisario carefully vets any 
newcomers to the camps to ensure that they are not a risk 
to others or to the Polisario's political goals. New 
settlers are required by the Polisario to stay in a safe 
house for approximately two weeks until their identities 
and backgrounds are verified. There is a particular fear 
that young men are prone to political or religious 
corruption. The Embassy's American contacts explained when 
a refugee family hosted some Western NGO workers in their 
home, a Sahrawi man whom the family did not know came to 
visit the workers, at which point the family became highly 
suspicious and protective, and began inquiring around the 
camp about the man's background. 

¶6. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX and the American NGO workers agreed that 
the poor living conditions in the camps and the lack of 
opportunities there could make Sahrawi youth susceptible to 
extremist recruitment or trafficking activities. However, 
they did not personally know individuals involved in those 
activities. The American NGO workers believed there is a 
limited amount of private drug use in the camps. 
Echeverria explained there is an internet cafe in each of 
the four refugee camps at which the refugees are allowed to 
view almost anything on the internet, including pornography 
and Moroccan press reports, but not extremist websites. He 
said that anyone caught doing so was taken aside for 
questioning and then closely monitored. 

Many Sahrawi Seeking Independence 
--------------------------------- 

¶7. (C) XXXXXXXXXXX said that Sahrawis who receive their 
education elsewhere continue to return to the camps because 
they believe the Sahrawis should have their own country. 
Echeverria and the American NGO workers confirmed that they 
had heard of Sahrawi youth threatening to resume violence 
against Morocco. They said that some youth see war as the 
only option, but that older Sahrawi who have lived through 
the war with Morocco during the late 1970s and 1980s 
support a peaceful solution. Echeverria commented that 
many of the refugees have relatives in Spain and could 
obtain residency permits there but choose not to, although 
some cannot afford to go. Some emigrate to 
Moroccan-controlled areas of Western Sahara by crossing the 
berm or the Algerian-Moroccan border. The Polisario 
encourages this resettlement probably to strengthen 
resistance against Morocco, and for intelligence purposes. 

¶8. (C) XXXXXXXXXXX said he hears from the refugees that the 
Sahrawis and Moroccan settlers in the Moroccan-controlled 
area of Western Sahara want independence because they 
believe the territory contains natural resources and oppose 
human rights abuses by the Moroccan government. He 
commented that the Moroccan settlers tend to come from 
poorer backgrounds and resettle in Western Sahara to take 
advantage of government subsidies of fuel and other goods. 
He also noted that if the Polisario were to acquiesce and 
accept less than a popular referendum with the option of 
independence, the Polisario would lose the support of the 
Sahrawi refugees, who would choose to remain in the camps. 

Movement and Conditions of Refugees 
----------------------------------- 

¶9. (C) The Algerian government allows the Polisario to 
govern the refugee camps and even requires visitors on 
incoming flights to Tindouf to complete Sahrawi 
"government" customs' cards, which are then passed on to 
Algerian officials. The Polisario monitors the checkpoints 
in and out of the camps, while the Algerian military 
monitors the checkpoints farther outside the camps and near 
Tindouf. Sahrawi refugees need identification cards to 
travel outside of the camps. XXXXXXXXXXXX commented that the 
Algerian military appears to be under orders not to treat 
the Sahrawi harshly: he saw a Sahrawi without 
identification shouting at an Algerian army officer who 
would not let the refugee through the checkpoint and 
watched as the military officer calmly walked away. 
Sahrawi can easily obtain a permit at the Polisario liaison 

office in Tindouf to travel north to places like Algiers, 
but the permit does not allow them to work. Foreigners 
cannot move throughout the area easily and are closely 
monitored in Tindouf by Algerian security services. On 
military issues, Echeverria said that the Polisario has 
some mobile multiple rocket launchers that appeared old and 
were probably provided by Algeria. He said that Polisario 
military service now lasts only two to three months, less 
than in the past. 

¶10. (C) XXXXXXXXXXX commented that the Sahrawis typically 
show visitors the camps that are the best organized and 
with the best living conditions. Smara and Awserd are the 
better camps, while Dakhla has some of the worst 
conditions. The Dakhla hospital has only two doctors, two 
hours of electricity per day, and two land cruisers that 
serve as ambulances and a variety of other purposes. 
XXXXXXXXXXXX said the refugees do not receive enough food aid 
and suffer health issues due to eating the same narrow diet 
of donated food for decades. He said the "27 February" 
settlement has good electricity, which is needed to run 
some of the humanitarian institutions located there, but 
that the four refugee camps lack continuous electricity. 

Sahrawis Encourage Social Activism by Westerners 
--------------------------------------------- --- 

¶11. (C) The American NGO workers confirmed (as previously 
reported reftel) that both Sahrawi men and women attain 
high levels of education studying abroad, and that Sahrawi 
women play a role, albeit a minority one, in the Sahrawi 
leadership. However, they also explained that many Sahrawi 
women suffer from a poor self-image. Several years ago, 
some Muslim religious leaders in the camps called on 
American NGO workers to educate the Sahrawi women on eating 
disorders. Some have used bleaching products to lighten 
their skin, which they consider more attractive. Sahrawi 
leaders have asked the NGO workers to help establish and 
provide resources for a Sahrawi-run women's center to 
educate them on issues such as eating disorders and sexual 
abuse. 

¶12. (C) Beginning several years ago, Sahrawi religious 
leaders asked the American workers to participate in annual 
seminars on inter-faith dialogue; this year the Sahrawi 
proposed to discuss the perception of Jesus in Christianity 
and Islam. These American contacts acknowledged that some 
Algerian and Polisario support for the seminars is probably 
politically motivated, to secure Western political and NGO 
support for the camps and Polisario. 

Land Route Unlikely in Short Term 
--------------------------------- 

¶13. (C) XXXXXXXXXXX said that the Polisario and Morocco 
agreed to open a land route for the Sahrawis between 
Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara and the refugee camps as 
a UN-sponsored confidence building measure. The UN bought 
eleven new vehicles in preparation, but there has been no 
progress on opening the route, mostly because the UN 
peacekeeping force MINURSO will need time - perhaps years - 
to demine the area. He also said that Morocco wants a land 
route across the Moroccan-Algerian border in order to 
increase trade, but the Polisario prefers a land route into 
Western Sahara to connect the Sahrawis living on either 
side of the berm. 

PEARCE