American Think Tank Warns of Growing Ties Between “Polisario” and International Jihadist Groups

ALDAR/

In a recent report published by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a U.S.-based research institute specializing in security and foreign policy issues, serious warnings were issued regarding what it described as a “worrying development” in the orientation of some elements of the Polisario Front, which is based in the Tindouf camps in Algeria.

According to an analysis published in the prestigious American journal The National Interest, an increasing number of extremists linked to the Polisario are showing tendencies toward engagement or coordination with jihadist networks active in the Sahel and Sahara region. If confirmed, this convergence could pose a serious security threat—not only to North African countries but also to Western interests in the region.

The report noted that the lack of strict oversight within the camps, coupled with fragile social and economic conditions, has created a fertile ground for the spread of extremist ideologies. As a result, some of these camps have become ideal environments for recruitment and ideological indoctrination. Observers fear that terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) or ISIS in the Greater Sahara could exploit this situation to recruit new members.

The report also pointed out that these concerns are not entirely new. Several Western and African think tanks have previously warned about the dangers of leaving the situation in Tindouf unchecked and unresolved politically. They argue that the ongoing conflict over the Moroccan Sahara not only perpetuates geopolitical stagnation but also contributes to the destabilization of the entire region.

This warning comes at a time when international calls are intensifying for a permanent and just resolution to the Sahara issue, amid growing consensus around the credibility of Morocco’s autonomy plan under national sovereignty as a realistic and viable solution.

In this context, the international community appears to be called upon to seriously consider the security threats that may arise from ignoring the potential links between some Polisario elements and jihadist organizations—especially in a region still suffering from chronic security fragility and deep developmental challenges.