Sahrawi

In reaction to the UN Security Council's renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSU) today, Oxfam welcomed the decision but warned of the continued suffering of over 170,000 Sahrawi refugees in Algeria as the conflict marks its 45th year this October.

Coronavirus has breached the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria, putting over 170,000 chronically ill refugees at significant risk, Oxfam said today. 

Over 170,000 people in the Sahrawi refugee camps are bracing for the Coronavirus as local authorities and organizations remain extremely underprepared for the pandemic due to dwindling funding, Oxfam said today.

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Sahrawi refugee camps in the Southwest Algerian desert, 40 Sahrawi refugees have lent their faces to the “40 faces 40 years” photo exhibition in an attempt to shed a light on an entire generation that never experienced anything other than life as a refugee.

The Western Sahara harbors one of the longest standing but yet unknown humanitarian disasters in recent history. Today, marking 40 years since the start, the UN Security Council is about to discuss the stalemate.