The Sahrawi refugee crisis, one of the longest-standing in the world after the displacement of Palestinians in 1948, continues to persist with little resolution in sight. Since 1975, following Spain’s withdrawal from Western Sahara and the ensuing armed conflict between Moroccan forces and the Polisario Front, approximately 173,600 Sahrawi refugees have lived in five camps near Tindouf, Algeria.

Current Situation

The Sahrawi refugees are scattered across five camps on the unforgiving “hammada,” a vast and remote desert plain in the Sahara. The most distant camp lies 170 kilometers southwest of the Algerian city of Tindouf, in an area marked by isolation and a lack of economic opportunities. The harsh climate, with temperatures soaring to 50 degrees Celsius in the summer, frequent sandstorms and occasional floods, further exacerbates challenges facing the refugees, such as limited access to necessities and health risks.

Food insecurity is a dire issue, with nearly 90% of the “Sahrawi refugees either food insecure or vulnerable to food insecurity.” A 2022 Joint Assessment Mission and Nutrition survey by the World Food Programme (WFP) reveals a worsening nutrition crisis. The prevalence of life-threatening wasting among children aged 6 months to 59 months has risen from 7.6% in 2019 to 10.7% in 2022. More than half of these children suffer from anemia, two-thirds do not receive the diverse diet needed for healthy development and nearly a third suffer from chronic malnutrition.

Furthermore, the refugees’ heavy dependence on international humanitarian aid, severe living conditions and food shortages have forced many households to cut back on health expenditures or sell off their livestock. Inadequate infrastructure severely hampers the delivery of essential services such as education and health care, leading to high child and maternal mortality rates and adversely affecting the population’s overall health and well-being.

Additionally, employment opportunities within the camps are minimal, leaving a third of Sahrawi refugees without any income and 60% economically inactive. The extreme climate and remoteness of the camps have curtailed traditional income sources like agriculture and livestock rearing. This is particularly detrimental to young people who, due to economic frustrations, may resort to high-risk activities such as smuggling and theft.

The Sahrawi Refugee Response Plan

In response to the myriad of challenges the Sahrawi refugees face, in 2003, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) launched the interagency Sahrawi Refugee Response Plan (SRRP). This initiative, requiring a total of $214 million, represents the first unified effort to address the needs of the Sahrawi refugee population. The plan brings together 28 partners, including the Algerian Red Crescent and the University of Madrid, to deliver coordinated humanitarian assistance.

The SRRP

The SRRP outlines several key priorities, including ensuring refugee protection and legal assistance and providing essential services such as food, shelter, health care and education. The plan also aims to improve water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) conditions in the camps, which are critical given the harsh desert environment.

In addition to these immediate needs, the SRRP aims to support livelihoods by providing essential supplies, vocational training and income-generating activities. This includes the distribution of 1,500 high-quality cooking stoves and 3,000 bales of second-hand clothes from UNIQLO. On the health care front, the plan addresses the prevalent malnutrition with supplementation, including iron and folic acid, systematic deworming and outpatient care for particularly severe cases.

Education is another focal point, with the SRRP aiming to improve the quality of instruction by training teachers and educational personnel. By tackling a broad scope of issues and closely coordinating with the Algerian government, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other United Nations (U.N.) agencies, the SRRP aims to deliver a comprehensive and effective response, ideally addressing the immediate and long-term needs of the Sahrawi refugee population.

Challenges and Way Forward

A U.N. press briefing from November 2023 confirms that, although the plan has received some donor support, operations remain underfunded. The U.N. actively calls for additional contributions to implement the plan and fully sustain refugee humanitarian assistance. The success of the fundraising efforts is still being determined, but the plan is set to run through 2024 and 2025. By the end of this period, it will be evident whether these initiatives have provided the support needed to improve the livelihoods of the Sahrawi people and move them closer toward long-term stability and self-reliance.

– Asma Issa

Asma is based in London, UK and focuses on Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr