Assahafa.com
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned against the severe deterioration in the nutrition of Sahrawis living in dire and inhumane conditions in the Tindouf camps, Algeria.
The report cited preliminary findings from a survey, which show that malnutrition is affecting more and more children and women of reproductive age.
This comes at a time when the Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) level and stunting in children have increased to 13.6% and 30.7% respectively, compared to 10.7% and 28.8% in 2022. This is the highest level since 2010 and is classified as critical according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The report stressed that the anemia prevalence remains significantly high, surpassing the 40% public health significance threshold among women of reproductive age at 68.8% and children under five years.
“These results indicate a significant deterioration compared to a 2022 survey, which recorded high levels of anaemia in both individual categories at 53.5% and 54.2%, respectively,” the UNSG report said.
The UNSG acknowledged that UN agencies, like UNHCR and UNICEF, as well as WFP, work together to tackle the situation through initiatives, like a five-year multisectoral health strategy seeking to address anemia, as well as malnutrition in the camps.
“As of the end of July 2025, approximately $36.16 million of the nearly $104 million appealed for had been received, including generous support from the Government of Algeria,” the UN report said.
Algeria’s funding and financial support is directed to Polisario’s leadership for political and military purposes rather than direct humanitarian aid. Algeria’s regime also leaves residents trapped in the Tindouf camps, while they are restricted from moving beyond the deserted region, where escalating health risks and lack of water persist.
This is not the only report that documents catastrophic malnutrition rates that plague the Polisario-run, Algerian-controlled camps.
Earlier this year, in May, UNHCR also launched an appeal for increased support to Sahrawis in Tindouf, where aid is continuously diverted due to Polisario’s involvement in embezzlement cases.
Alistair Alain Boulton, the UNHCR Representative in Algeria, voiced his concern over the situation in Tindouf, stressing that the UN body needs $100 million per year to provide “adequate assistance to Sahrawi refugees.”
Millions of dollars sent by donors and countries from the EU and beyond have failed to address the situation in Tindouf, as many reports document the Polisario’s embezzlement of funds.
These reports also stress the dire conditions and inhumane situation for Sahrawis living in Tindouf, amid the Polisario’s smuggling of equipment, including medical supplies and other humanitarian aid.
A 2021 report from the Tindouf Autonomy Support Forum (FORSATIN) highlighted the dire situation.
The report said that medical supplies “evaporate as if they never existed” once the Polisario leadership takes pictures of them and posts them on social media.
The report also highlighted medicine shortages, describing the situation as catastrophic.
Another significant report that documented Polisario’s embezzlement scandals was from the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) in 2015.
The report exposed the embezzlement of humanitarian aid between 2003 and 2007, accusing the Polisario leadership of selling aid intended for refugees in Mauritania and sub-Saharan markets to finance the purchase of weapons.
Earlier this year, Morocco’s permanent ambassador to the UN, Omar Hilale denounced Algeria’s continued refusal to allow a census and registration of Sahrawis in Tindouf for over 50 years, despite clear directives from the Security Council since 2011.
“The absence of a census facilitates the diversion of humanitarian aid, which has pushed agencies and NGOs to reduce their assistance,” Hilale stated.
He also cited reports from OLAF, the UNHCR Inspector General’s Office, and the World Food Programme that confirmed aid diversion by Polisario and Algerian officials.
Source: Morocco word news
