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The general debate on Item 4 of the UN Human Rights Council, dedicated to human rights violations worldwide, opened on Thursday afternoon in Geneva. Several non-governmental organizations took the floor to denounce the concerning situation in the Tindouf camps in Algeria, where Sahrawi refugees live under the control of the Polisario Front, without adequate oversight or official recognition of their status.
The first speaker, El Filali Hammadi, representative of the Unity Network for the Development of Mauritania, strongly criticized the lack of control over the Tindouf camps, describing the situation as a «legal and administrative vacuum» that exposes refugees to serious human rights violations.
He recalled that Algeria «has ceded the management of the camps to an armed group, the Polisario, without effective oversight», leading to «arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial executions». He notably cited an incident in October 2020, when two Sahrawis were burned alive by Algerian soldiers while digging a well.
On the humanitarian front, 88% of Sahrawi refugees suffer from hunger or food insecurity, according to the World Food Programme. Twenty-eight percent of children under five are stunted, while access to clean water remains extremely limited. Hammadi also highlighted the diversion of humanitarian aid, preventing supplies from reaching the most vulnerable populations.
Systematic Oppression Denounced
Taking the floor next, Rabab Eddah, representative of the NGO Promotion of Economic and Social Development (PDES), condemned the severe restrictions on freedom of expression imposed by the Polisario.
She stated that «any opposition is systematically repressed», with political parties banned and activists, journalists, and bloggers constantly persecuted. According to her, the Polisario leadership employs «oppressive methods» and does not hesitate to label dissenters as traitors.
Eddah also emphasized Algeria's responsibility, noting that its refusal to recognize the refugee status of Sahrawis in the Tindouf camps deprives them of their civil, political, and social rights, in violation of the 1951 Refugee Convention.
A Call for a Political Solution
Finally, Saadani Maolaynin, representing the NGO OCAPROCE International, broadened the debate by stressing the violations of freedom of expression in the Tindouf camps.
She denounced «50 years of impunity, injustice, and repression», pointing out that Sahrawis «live under a single dogma imposed by the Polisario leaders», with no possibility of dissent under threat of «harassment, torture, or imprisonment».
In this context, Maolaynin advocated for a peaceful and lasting solution, arguing that Morocco’s proposed autonomy plan represents «a fair alternative guaranteeing fundamental rights and a dignified life for this vulnerable population».
These interventions converge on the same conclusion: the Tindouf camps remain outside all control, and Algeria must be held accountable for the human rights violations committed on its territory. The NGOs called on the international community to demand accountability, ensure transparency in the management of humanitarian aid, and work towards a political solution that would finally allow the Sahrawis to access their rights and dignity.
