The unmovable leader of the Polisario, Mohamed Abdelaziz, continues to cling to his position, just like his Algerian Godfather, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, although both men are seriously sick. The first is suffering from lung cancer while the second has never recovered from the stroke he suffered in April 2013.
Bouteflika, 77, who has been hospitalized many times, the latest for nearly 80 days in the French military hospital of Val de Grace, has a government team and public institutions that run the country in his absence, although the Algerian civil society and opposition parties do not hide their frustration at the lack of accurate information on his physical and mental fitness to govern the country.
The case of Mohamed Abdelaziz is quite different. He is constantly shuttling between Tindouf and Italy where he undergoes his chemotherapy treatment. He suffers, besides his lung cancer, acute respiratory and gastric problems. Mohamed Abdelaziz, who is now very weak is no longer able to run the Tindouf camps, as he has done for nearly forty years.
Lately, the Polisario leader has virtually disappeared and whenever he makes a public appearance, it’s for a very short time.
A recent picture of the separatist front leader, relayed by the Polisario propaganda outlets, confirmed that he is in poor condition.
In this photo, Mohamed Abdelaziz, who was attending a Polisario meeting, appeared extremely weak with a tired-looking, swollen face.
Both Abdelazizs, despite their health condition, have not yet had the courage to throw in the towel and are showing a clear unwillingness to leave power
The most serious fact is that the two men’s stubbornness has a grim impact not only on the present and the future of Algeria and the Tindouf camps, but also on the outcome of the Western Sahara conflict and on all neighboring countries which aspire to Maghreb integration, security, stability and prosperity.