Ahmadou Souilem

Ahmadou Souilem, a native Sahrawi of the Oulad Dlim tribe from the city of Dakhla in southern Morocco, worked for the Spanish government as an administration agent and Sheikh of his tribe until 1975, when he joined the Polisario Front to oppose the Spanish colonization.

In the Polisario, Souilem was assigned to its External Relations Committee (equivalent to a Foreign Affairs Ministry) where he served as representative to Guinea‐Bissau and Western Africa (1977‐1979), as ambassador to Panama and Central America (1979‐1980), and representative to Iran, the Middle East, and South Africa at various times during the 80s. After a decade of diplomatic posts, Souilem rejoined the leadership of the Polisario based in Tindouf, Algeria where he was in charge of educational system reform in the refugee camps until 1988.

As the leader of the Oulad Dlim tribe, he was given a seat on the "National Sahrawi Council" (Parliament) and the "Sahrawi Consultative Council" (upper chamber). That same year, he joined a popular uprising in the camps with others who advocated abolishing the dictatorial policy of the Polisario leadership. Participants in the uprising were physically punished and cruelly repressed by both Polisario troops and the Algerian army.

Since then, after becoming disillusioned by the Polisario cause and their lack of a firm commitment to the Sahrawi people, Souilem has expressed his opposition to the inhumane exploitation and suffering of those still held in the Tindouf refugee camps. Souilem left the Polisario and returned Morocco on July 29, 2009. He speaks French, Spanish, and Arabic.