Algeria Hosts Controversial Football Match in Disputed Western Sahara Region

Is Algeria instrumentalizing sport for purely separatist purposes? The "Minister of Youth and Sports" of the Polisario welcomed the former attacking midfielder, Lakhdar Belloumi, 65 years old, in Tindouf. He is considered the best Algerian player of all time and was at the head of a delegation composed of about ten former players of the Algerian national team. Wearing Algerian jerseys with Moroccan zellige patterns, these former Algerian football stars participated in a "gala" match on a rocky pitch, report the "Sahrawi" press agency and the Algerian media.

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On another note, H24info mentions the rumor about the visit of a delegation of Algerian political parties led by the American ambassador to Algiers, Elizabeth Moore Aubin, to Tindouf to protest "against the Madrid agreement" and meet the separatist leader, Brahim Ghali. According to the online media, the American diplomat "went there alone as part of a mission of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)". She also took the opportunity to do some sightseeing in the city of Bou Saâda, located 1,647 kilometers (about 19 hours by road) from Tindouf. The Polisario chief was receiving representatives of Algerian political formations on November 14.