"We came to Washington to meet with the media, Congressmen and U.S. officials, and draw attention to the violations of human rights perpetrated on a large scale in Tindouf camps," said Mrs. Hajbouha Zoubir in a statement to MAP at the end of a meeting she held Tuesday with other members of the delegation at the headquarters of the International Republican Institute (IRI), a U.S. nonprofit organization that works to promote freedom and democracy in the world.

Mrs. Zoubir, member of the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs (CORCAS) cited cases of Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud, who is on a hunger strike protesting against the actions by separatists, and Najem Allal, kidnapped and tortured by separatist militias calling for a burst of conscience and finding a way-out to the Sahara issue from the stalemate that mortgages the future of the region and puts their safety at risk.

For his part, Ahmed Sheikh Ismaili said his  presence in Washington is part of efforts to raise international public awareness about the humanitarian case of his brother Mustapha Salma, who suffers retaliation by Polisario for daring to proclaim his adherence to the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara.

Ahmed Sheikh Ismaili took the opportunity to  denounce the "indifference" and "silence" observed by the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) regarding the case of his brother, who "fights for a noble human goal , ie to go back to his family. "

"Our contacts in Washington listened with great interest to the recent developments of the case of Ould Sidi Mouloud and promised to help us draw the attention of the US people to this human tragedy," he said.

- News and events on Western Sahara issue/ Corcas -