At a meeting initiated by the Canadian-Moroccan Skills Forum under the theme "The forgotten people of Tindouf: open humanitarian tragedy", the focus has been made on the mental and physical suffering and injustice suffered by thousands of Sahrawis sequestered in the camps of shame for 40 years, as well as the inhuman and intolerable living conditions of these populations held against their will and denied their most basic rights.

The meeting was moderated by Yasmine Hasnaoui, speaker and president of the Foundation of the Moroccan-American friendship, who stressed the need to end the daily suffering of the populations sequestered and lift the blockade imposed to the Tindouf camps, "an open prison" where the Sahrawis live in unbearable conditions, out of sight of the international community unable to resolve the dispute.

In this sense, she pointed to the responsibility of the Algerian regime proved in the perpetuation of this artificial conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.

Ms. Hasnaoui, who often participates in forums on human rights and the relationship between Morocco and the United States, highlighted the desperation and frustration that plague these Sahrawis whose freedoms are violated daily by Polisario militias paid by Algeria, which continues to support politically, financially and militarily and to deny access of international organizations to the camps.

The speaker, who also participated in several working sessions at the UN headquarters in Geneva and New York on the issue of human rights in conflict zones, shed light on the large-scale embezzlement by separatist leaders and their Algerian protectors, international humanitarian aid to camp residents, as evidenced by the conclusions of the report of the European anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).

She further warned against proven connections between Polisario and the terrorist networks that flourish in the Sahel-Saharan region and threaten its stability.

In the same vein, another conference under the theme " (Forgotten victims) was organized by the Sahara Observatory for Peace, Democracy and Human Rights (OSPDH).

Speaking on this occasion, the President of the Observatory, Aicha Duihi said the meeting aims to shed light on these forgotten victims of violations committed by Polisario, both those dead and those whose fate remains unknown, who suffered various forms of torture and the worst atrocities that humans can imagine.

It also aims, she added, to uncover the story of these victims, who do not appear on lists or submissions of international organizations, so they can be recognized as such, to expose abuse they suffered in detention centers, and to preserve their memory and raise their voices and those of their families.

For his part, the president of the Forum Canario-Saharan Miguel Angel Ortiz welcomed the initiative of organizing this conference to spotlight thousands of innocent people, including Spaniards, who were abducted, kidnapped or killed, adding that it is not only to remember the victims who died, but also those who still suffer and continue to suffer the most abject treatment in these camps.

Calling Polisario a "terrorist" organization, Mr. Ortiz said that Algeria has appointed a new leader at the head of this movement, namely Brahim Ghali, a fugitive from justice sought and pursued by the Spanish courts for crimes against humanity among others.

For his part, the president of the Italian association "METE Onlus" Giorgia Butera, focused on the very worrying situation of the Sahrawi young girls adopted by Spanish families who were detained upon return to camps Tindouf to see their families, as well as cases of early marriage and forced pregnancy of Saharawi women sequestered in flagrant violation of the principles of human rights and human dignity.

During the meeting, the audience watched a 10 minute film that presented a list of names of the main perpetrators of the Polisario who have committed crimes against humanity for 40 years, and those of a part of victims estimated at 40,000 people, from different countries and nationalities, especially Moroccan, Mauritanian, Spanish, French and Korean.

Both meetings were also marked by poignant testimony by Lamani Abdellah, a former prisoner who delivered the story of his long imprisonment in the jails of the Polisario and the horrors he experienced during 23 years in prison since his kidnapping in 1980, with thousands of other civilians and Moroccan military.

- News and events on Western Sahara issue / Corcas-