C24: Ambassador Hilale Denounces The Military Enlistment of Children in Tindouf camps in Algeria

Omar Hilale, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, has raised concerns about one of the greatest types of human rights violations done by Algeria and the “polisario” against the sequestered populations in the Tindouf camps, namely the enlisting of minors in the military.

“There is a matter that greatly worries Morocco, in particular, and the international community in general, and that is the military enrollment of minors in the Tindouf camps,” Hilal said in his intervention before the UN-sponsored C24 in Dominica (August 25-27).

“Algeria, which claims to be a neutral observer in the Moroccan Sahara dispute, shelters training camps and forced enrollment of children as young as ten years old,” he added, waving dozens of photos of young children carrying weapons in military parades and training militarily in the Tindouf camps around the room.

“The Algerian representative says that there is no proof. Here are photographs and even films from the so-called polisario’s own websites, showing dozens of youngsters in military uniforms, even naked chests, sorting out These photos horribly overwhelm his country,” the Moroccan Ambassador stated.

“These youngsters are being taught to kill by Algeria and the Polisario. They train kids to be terrorists, like as Daesh Khorassan, who was broadcast on CNN, BBC, and France 24 on this same day before and after the terrorist assault he carried out at Kabul airport.

They expose these youngsters to the same intense training and fanatical brainwashing as the children in the films. Unfortunately, this is the true face of the Polisario’s hate, since evidence of their collusion with terrorist organizations in the Sahel-Saharan area has been established. This emphasizes Algeria’s clear international responsibility, as the forced military enlistment of minors occurs on its territory, according to Hilale.

“It is exceedingly problematic that Algeria, which is a signatory to all international conventions, covenants, and declarations on children’s rights, enables an armed group to indoctrinate youngsters to wage war, conduct military operations, and become commandos and murderers. Instead of providing them with school, education, art, and music, like in the Moroccan Sahara, Algeria and the Polisario separate them from their families, rob them of their childhood innocence, and leave them with no other option except war and military brutality” Ambassador Hilale regretted before the audience, which was well aware of Algeria’s and “Polisario” militia’s heinous treatment of hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent kids.

In response to the Algerian ambassador to the United Nations, Soufiane Mimouni, who attempted to absolve his nation of these grave and widespread abuses of children’s rights, Omar Hilale said, “But where are the training camps for child soldiers?” It is located in Algerian territory, near the Tindouf desert.

Those who train them are Polisario armed elements, and those who supervise them are Algerian instructors,” he concludes, “and the Algerian colleague’s vein denials cannot absolve Algeria of its international responsibility towards these innocent children, who would have loved to learn dancing songs, instead of war songs, and to use the pen and brush instead of the Kalashnikov”.

This tumultuous discussion between the Moroccan and Algerian embassies went place oddly under the frantic gaze and shameful silence of the “polisario” separatists’ spokesman.