Sahrawi businessman Dahi Ahl El Khattat on Friday urged the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to hold Algeria accountable for the humanitarian situation in the Tindouf camps.
He said civilians there live in dire conditions, deprived of their basic right to development and placed under the control of the Polisario Front, which runs the camps outside the law with the backing of the Algerian army. He added that authorities deny camp residents the right to move freely, work, own property, or even be registered by the UN Refugee Agency.
In contrast, El Khattat highlighted that Sahrawis in Morocco’s southern provinces benefit from major development projects launched since 2015, with investments exceeding $8 billion, improving education, healthcare, infrastructure, and job opportunities — progress confirmed by UN reports.
He called on the Human Rights Council to urgently address the situation in the Tindouf camps and to hold Algeria, as the host country, accountable for failing to meet its international obligations and for denying civilians their fundamental right to development.
