Since the end of the 1980s, several members of POLISARIO have decided to discontinue their military or political activities for the Polisario Front. Most of them returned from the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria to Morocco, among them a few founder members and senior officials. Some of them are now actively promoting Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, which Morocco considers its Southern Provinces. Their individual reasons to stop working for POLISARIO, as reported in the media, vary, but include allegations of human rights violations, monopolization and abuse of power, blackmailing and isolating the refugee population in Tindouf, and misuse of foreign aid. They also claim POLISARIO is controlled by the government of Algeria and as one former member of POLISARIO put it, "[was] a group of Moroccan students who were urging the Spanish colonizer to leave and who had never claimed independence or the separation from motherland Morocco."(Mustapha Barazani) The polisario was born in Rabat, not in the Sahara (d.d. 25 October 2003) Entretien avec Mustapha Barazani, ex-dirigeant du POLISARIO (Bachir Mustapha Sayed) Top POLISARIO figure defects separatists, joins Mauritania Report: Clan wars and unavoidable scission in Tindouf Communiqué de Presse CPSD/108 , p.33 ff.
The following is a list of some former members of the POLISARIO. It is not complete.
Ahmedou Souelem Ahmed Brahim, former "minister", responsible of relations with the Arab WorldLe renégat Ahmedou Souelem trahit sa patrie et son peuple Omar Hadrami – responsible of the military security of POLISARIO,Polisario : Camouflets en série (5-7-2005) a relative of the late Ma al-'Aynayn Lahbib Ayoub - co-founder of the POLISARIO, military commander Lebnaha Attaya – Close to Prime Minister of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Mahfoud Ali BeibaOutpouring of grief in Tindouf compels Polisario to circulate release hailing late Hassan II's qualities (7-30-1999) Ghaoutah Mohamed Ahmed Baba – census official Détournement des aides humanitaires par le Polisario 2000 Mustapha El Barazani – founder member and representative at the Organisation of African UnityGajmoula Ebbi raconte son aventure avec le POLISARIO, ses rêves, son calvaire et ses attentes (13 november 2006) Mustapha Bouh – Political Commissar for Sahrawi Popular Army of Liberation.Mustapha Bouh, ex-membre du Bureau politique : «L¹histoire du «Polisario» est jalonnée de purges impitoyables» 13 november 2006 Bachir Dkhill – Founding member of the POLISARIO, representative of the organization in several countries and organizations. Guajmoula Bent Ebbi – member of the Politburo, and today Moroccan MP.Gajmoula Ebbi raconte son aventure avec le Polisario, ses rêves, son calvaire et ses attentes (10-16-2006) Sidati Mohamed Abdellahi alias Sidati El Ghallaoui – representative of the POLISARIO in Italy and Malta.Chronologie des Principaux Faits (5 november 2005) Mohamed Abdelkader Ould Mohamed Oul Habiboullah Ould Haibelti – Held several top positions before heading the Sahrawi Republic-radioReport: Clan wars and unavoidable scission in Tindouf, defectors (11-5-99)Un des plus grands magistrats du Polisario regagne le Maroc, affirme un hebdomadaire mauritanien (24 November 1999) Brahim Hakim – Former foreign minister of the RASD and representative of the POLISARIO in North America. Outpouring of grief in Tindouf compels Polisario to circulate release hailing late Hassan II's qualities (7-30-1999) Polisario : Camouflets en série Maâlainine Mohamed Khaled – POLISARIO observer at MINURSO in Mauritania (5-7-2005) Boullahi El Khalifa – Director of POLISARIO radio broadcasting Octobre 1988 : l’implosion du Polisario (1-11-2005) Mohamed Salem Khatri Détournement des aides humanitaires par le Polisario (MAP, 2000) Keltoum Khayati – Formerly in charge of the organization of women. Deportation of Sahrawi children to Cuba by 'Polisario' denounced (3-30-2005) Ayoub Lahbib – Founder member of the POLISARIO and member of the Executive Committee. Gajmoula Ebbi raconte son aventure avec le Polisario, ses rêves, son calvaire et ses attentes (10-19-2006) Abderrahmane Leibek – POLISARIO member Le coup de maître (22-10-2004) Mohamed Ahmed ben Omar Ouled M'Brirek – POLISARIO representative for the identification of Sahrawis Mohamed Ahmed Ben Omar Ouled M’Brirek : « Les gens en ont assez d’attendre jusqu’à l’éternité » Ahmed Moulay M’Hamed – Head of the Security Services Détournement des aides humanitaires par le Polisario Lfdal Malainine – director at the Education Ministry Guerre de clans et scission inévitable à Tindouf, selon trois ex-responsables du Polisario ayant regagné le Maroc Ghoulam Najem Mouichane – representative in Germany Ahmed Ould Mohamed Abderrahman Cheikh Abdelaziz Rabani Trois cadres du Polisario regagnent le Maroc Hametti Rabani – Minister for Justice and Cults Un représentant du Polisario à l'opération d'identification regagne le Maroc Mohamed Abdellahi Ould Mohamed El Mostapha Rabani – Lawyer El Haj Abdellah Ould Abdelkader Ould Rabani – Journalist Merrebih Rebbou Interview avec Merrebih Rebbou Ahmed Ould Saleh – personal secretary of Ayoub Lahbib Report: Clan wars and unavoidable scission in Tindouf, defectors Bouchaâb Yahdih – representative of POLISARIO in France Les geôliers de Tindouf mis à nu Cheikh Ali El Bouhali Hnini S.M. le Roi Mohammed VI Mohjamed VI reçoit Cheikh Ali El Bouhali Hnini ayant regagné récemment la mère-patrie Daifallah Yahdih – former census official Polisario leadership lives in wealth to detriment of camps' populations, Polisario member Cheikh El Mahjoub Ould M'Hamed Salem Ould Erraha – former census official Onze Marocains parmi les séquestrés des camps de Tindouf regagnent la Mère-patrie Semlali Aabadilah – former politician of Polisario «Il est de mon devoir de montrer au monde entier le vrai visage du Polisario» Hach Ahmed Baricalla – ambassador and minister Yanja El Khattat – mathematics tutor Jadiyetu Mohamud – translator
The reports of the experiences of the former members of POLISARIO have generally been published in Moroccan newspapers supporting the government position on Western Sahara. The possibility to freely report on the problem of Western Sahara is limited in Morocco (see: International Press Institute, World Press Freedom Review, 2005 Morocco).http://www.freemedia.at :International Press Institute, World Press Freedom Review, 2005 Morocco
US Congressman Donald M. Payne, from New Jersey, referred in 2005 to some former members of POLISARIO during a hearing before the subcommittee on Africa: "Also several people who were in a position of authority in the POLISARIO camps, when serious human rights abuses including torture were widespread, particularly during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, now occupy positions of authority in the Moroccan civil administration. This is based on information Amnesty International has been privy to."Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations of the Committee on International Relations House of Representatives One Hundred Ninth Congress, First Session, November 17, 2005, p. 15 ( http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/intlrel/hfa24601.000/hfa24601_0f.htm )
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