UN Chief warns of rights abuses in Tindouf camps, urges transparency

Secretary-General António Guterres has sounded the alarm over worsening living conditions and systematic human rights violations in the Tindouf refugee camps in Algeria,calling for immediate transparency and international oversight.

In his latest report on the Sahara issue,Guterres highlighted credible information received by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) pointing to persistent food insecurity,diversion of humanitarian aid,and forced child recruitment by the Polisario Front,with the complicity of the host country,Algeria.

The report also criticized the absence of a reliable census of camp populations,a long-standing UN demand that remains unmet,enabling manipulation of figures and obstructing aid delivery.

“These practices are intolerable and require urgent corrective measures,” the report states,urging unrestricted access for UN human rights mechanisms to monitor conditions on the ground.

By contrast,the Secretary-General praised Morocco’s “constructive engagement” with UN bodies,noting regular dialogue with OHCHR and the proactive role of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) through its regional commissions in Laâyoune and Dakhla.

The findings add pressure on Algeria and the Polisario as calls grow for accountability and independent verification of humanitarian operations in the camps.