According to these organizations, the child was the victim, on February 25, 2026, of an abduction and unlawful detention within the camps, during which he was subjected to serious physical violence, including severe beatings and burns on various parts of his body over several hours, allegedly carried out by a family accused of reducing the child’s family to servitude.
In a separate statement, Abdelouahab Gain, a human rights activist, described the case as a striking example of serious human rights violations in their most extreme form in the Tindouf camps, referring to “a forced abduction, arbitrary detention and acts of physical abuse of extreme severity,” including “violent beatings and burns inflicted on multiple parts of the body.”
According to Mr. Gain, who was speaking on behalf of the NGO “Réseau Unité Pour le Développement de Mauritanie,” these acts were committed on the basis of what he called “a false accusation,” later disproven by medical expertise, with the family involved reportedly acknowledging responsibility.
Mr. Gain also denounced what he described as the “absolute silence” of the polisario and the absence of any investigation or protective measures, stating that the situation “amounts to a form of institutional complicity,” in a context marked by “a complete lack of any UN oversight or independent national judicial control.”
For his part, Mr. El Bihi also deplored the absence of any announcement of an independent investigation or measures aimed at protecting the victim or prosecuting those responsible, pointing to what he described as a persistent climate of impunity.
The case of Mouloud El Mahyub was presented as revealing a legal vacuum and a lack of protection mechanisms within the camps, where thousands of Sahrawis have been held for decades.
“The risk of exposing the victim to further irreparable physical and psychological harm is immediate and serious,” Mr. Gain warned, calling for “this situation to be treated as a matter of the highest priority requiring immediate action.”
He notably called for “the immediate protection of the victim and his family,” “the opening of an independent investigation,” and “the deployment of a UN fact-finding mission,” while urging the international community to act without delay, warning that “irreversible harm” could otherwise occur.
The speakers finally stressed that the situation engages the responsibility of the host state, recalling its obligation to ensure the protection of all individuals under its jurisdiction.
Editorial team/le7tv