"The Tindouf camps, controlled by the armed militias of the Polisario, which are in collusion with jihadist organizations, constitute a threat to the stability of the region,'' the expert pointed out during a seminar on "the conflicts in the region, migration and democracy'', held recently in Rome, at the initiative of the Italian Arab association.
Mr. Boccolini stressed that "the precarious conditions and the deprivation of liberty and fundamental rights prevailing among young people in the Tindouf camps make them easy targets for recruitment by terrorist groups operating in the Sahel region".
"The overlapping activities of criminal, terrorist and separatist organizations pose serious threats, directly affecting the security of the region," said the journalist, who works for the Italian geopolitical magazine "Decode39".
He also highlighted the connections between terrorist groups and the Polisario front, as evidenced by the kidnapping of an Italian tourist in southern Algeria by armed gangs, including members of the Polisario, a case that was raised in his book on Mafias and Jihad in the Desert.