Said Hammou Ould Alioua and Mohamed M'barek Ould El-Kouri told MAP that "the gang, holding grips on leadership," seeks to "maintain the status quo situation to continue profiting from the donations of the international humanitarian organizations", particularly "since the adherence of most Sahrawis into the Moroccan proposal to grant substantial autonomy to its southern provinces."

    Mr. Ould Alioua, 27 years in detention, and Mr. Ould El-Kouri said the Polisario leadership tries to "throw the Moroccan Sahrawis into a proxy war," adding that it does not hold the power to make decisions and is "incapable of engaging into negotiations to reach a political solution in accordance with the UN resolutions."

    Thousands of Moroccan civilians are held against their will on the Algerian soil by the Algeria-backed Polisario separatists after having been lured to join the movement in the late 70s.

    The Polisario claim the independence of Morocco's Southern Provinces, The Sahara, from the rest of the country. The former Spanish colony was ceded to Morocco under the Madrid Accord signed in 1976 between Morocco, Spain and Mauritania.
 
    Morocco and the Polisario are expected to hold a third round of UN-led talks in Manhasset, New York January 7-9. The two previous rounds were held in June and August and were attended by Algeria and Mauritania as observers.