The Tindouf camps became the scene of an armed confrontation on Tuesday, February 4, involving elements of the Polisario Front and members of the Algerian gendarmerie. According to a Sahrawi source who spoke to Yabiladi, the incident took place at the «Boujdour camp», which serves as a sort of border between territories controlled by the Polisario Front and the Algerian city of Tindouf. The violence reportedly erupted when «Sahrawi drug traffickers, pursued by elements of the Polisario's "gendarmerie", sought refuge with the Algerian gendarmes. The Sahrawis demanded that the Algerians hand over the traffickers. When this request was refused, tensions escalated, leading both parties to use their service weapons, resulting in injuries on both sides», the source detailed. The source further explained that «this armed confrontation is part of an ongoing power struggle between influential Sahrawis, who enjoy protection from high-ranking Polisario officials, and Algerian security forces, all vying for control of drug trafficking in the Tindouf camps».
