An MEP addresses humanitarian aid sent to the Tindouf camps by EU

Last week, European Union Minister for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell answered a question by a pro-Polisario MEP about the European Union’s position on the Sahara issue. Days later, Bulgarian MEP lhan Kyuchyuk addressed a written question to the EU's first High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on aid granted by the EU to the Tindouf camps.

The MEP first recalled that «the Polisario Front is heavily armed and has a large budget for the maintenance of its military equipment». He also stressed that «the leaders of said front are also constantly exploiting the humanitarian situation in the Tindouf camps to draw the EU institutions’ attention to the plight of the refugees living there».

He also added that «the UNHCR (the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) has been refused permission to conduct an official census of the camp population, despite calls to this effect in UN Security Council resolutions».

After this introduction, Ihan Kyuchyuk asked his written question: «Is the EU aware of this situation? What actions does it intend to take to monitor the humanitarian aid sent to the Tindouf camps and to ensure that EU taxpayers’ money is not wasted ?»

The European Union announced on May 7 new financial assistance of € 5.3 million to the World Food Program (WFP). A sum devoted in principle to cover the food needs of the Tindouf camps.