Elements of the Polisario militia detained the head of the first military region and several of his collaborators on Friday, April 13, without authorization from their superiors, according to reports on Saturday by the Forum de soutien aux autonomistes de Tindouf (FORSATIN). They accuse him of diverting large quantities of fuel (around 25 tonnes) to the Mauritanian market. This action, seen as a mutiny by some, forced the Polisario leadership to act quickly to prevent the protest from spreading. The detaining elements demanded the head's prosecution. Brahim Ghali proposes dismissing the commander, while some senior Polisario leaders reportedly seek intervention from the Algerian army to quell the mutiny. Dialogue between the two parties is ongoing. The first military region was formerly located near El Guerguerate, a base previously considered «liberated territory». However, interventions by Royal Armed Forces (FAR) drones in November 2020 forced the separatist movement's militias to flee to the Tindouf camps in Algerian territory.
