Mohamed Yislem Ould Al-Kouri Ould Souilem, one of the chioukhs of the identification operation in the Tindouf camps, returned to the motherland, Morocco, at the end of the week.

Arriving Sunday evening in Dakhla, Mohamed Yislem Ould Al-Kouri Ould Souilem, Sheikh of the Ouled Dlim tribe, had left the Tindouf camps a few months ago and had gone to Spain before returning to Morocco in response to the call "the homeland is merciful and compassionate".

After expressing his loyalty to H.M. King Mohammed VI and his attachment "to the act of allegiance that we inherited from our parents and ancestors towards the Sovereigns of Morocco", he assured in a statement to the MAP that "his return stems from his conviction that the only solution to the Sahara conflict lies in the autonomy initiative which offers the Sahrawis the management of their own affairs within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty".

Mohamed Yislem Ould Al-Kouri noted that the Polisario is "a group led by Algeria to perpetuate this problem under the guise of deceptive slogans of self-determination with a view to undermining the integrity of Morocco and serving only the interests of the Algerian leaders".

Evoking the situation in the Tindouf camps, he deplored "the climate of oppression, suffering, and insecurity that reigns in these camps and the state of siege imposed on the populations", noting that "this situation of tension has worsened over the last few months and the Polisario is multiplying its manoeuvres, fearing popular uprisings in light of the events that occurred in Libya and other Arab countries".

He reported the presence "of criminal groups active in drug trafficking, arms trafficking, and the diversion of humanitarian aid in these camps, which are largely uncontrolled and consequently offer a favourable place for the development of illicit activities of all kinds".

Mohamed Yislem Ould Al-Kouri, who blamed this situation on the leaders of Algeria and the Polisario, addressed an urgent appeal "to the international community and to brotherly Arab countries to intervene with a view to lifting the siege imposed on the inhabitants of the Tindouf camps and allowing them to join Morocco and live there within the framework of autonomy, the only option capable of resolving this conflict which hinders Maghreb integration and the development of the countries of the region".

He also welcomed the progress made in Morocco thanks to the courageous decisions taken by H.M. King Mohammed VI, citing in this regard the new Constitution which has brought about several democratic reforms in various fields.

For his part, Abdallah Al-Ghilani, one of the relatives of Mohamed Yislem Ould Al-Kouri Ould Souilem, expressed his joy at the return "of one of the members of his family and one of the chioukhs of the identification operation", noting that "the only hope for the inhabitants of the Tindouf camps is the return to the motherland, Morocco".

Born in 1963, Mohamed Yislem Ould Al-Kouri Ould Souilem, who worked in the teaching and education sector, was a teacher, then an inspector and regional director. He is married and the father of four children.