The Organization for Communication in Africa and the Promotion of International Economic Cooperation (Ocaproce Internationale) has delivered a troubling testimony on the severe food insecurity gripping the Tindouf camps in Algeria. The organization emphasized that this crisis is not due to a lack of support from international donors, but rather to mismanagement and corruption within the Polisario Front, which has been overseeing these camps for decades.
Humanitarian Aid Swindle
Ocaproce Internationale has also pointed to Algeria’s direct involvement in the diversion of humanitarian aid intended for Sahrawi refugees. The organization has urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to launch an independent investigation to shed light on these practices and ensure transparency in aid distribution.
In a firm statement, Ocaproce Internationale called on Algerian authorities to fully cooperate with the United Nations and its specialized agencies to guarantee that humanitarian aid reaches its intended recipients. The NGO also stressed the urgent need for a precise census of the camp populations to distinguish Sahrawi refugees from other groups and to tailor aid efforts to actual needs.
A Call for International Responsibility
This session of the Human Rights Council has highlighted the pressing challenges related to the right to food and the need for coordinated action to ensure that vulnerable populations receive sufficient nutrition. Ocaproce Internationale’s intervention was a stark reminder of the importance of responsible governance and international responsibility in addressing humanitarian crises.
Ocaproce International's statement is also a direct challenge to Algeria's long-standing strategy of obstruction. Reports have long suggested that international food supplies, rather than alleviating hunger, are being sent to the black market or used as leverage to maintain control over the refugee population.
Moreover, by providing uncontrolled support to the Polisario, Algiers has turned the camps into zones of no law. Finally, the international community should no longer ignore the fact that the Tindouf camps, where accountability is non-existent and suffering is used as a political weapon, have become political pawns in Algeria's wider geopolitical strategy.
