A United Nations report dated October 1 warns that child malnutrition is rising in the Tindouf camps in southwestern Algeria. Humanitarian agencies still plan assistance using an unverified population estimate of 90,000. Without a comprehensive registration and census, agencies can’t confirm who lives in the camps or how many people need food, health care, nutrition and education support.
Aid Needs and Funding Shortfalls
Rates of acute malnutrition, stunting and anemia among children have continued to rise, the report says, raising concern about a possible food emergency. Around 30,000 children under five remain at risk because routine immunization programs have been disrupted. Food insecurity affects an estimated 80% of the camp population, and current assistance doesn’t fully meet household needs.
UNHCR, UNICEF, the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization continue to assist refugees in five camps near Tindouf. The 2025 Sahrawi Refugee Response Plan received $57.9 million, or MAD 532.7 million, of the $104 million, or MAD 956.8 million, requested.
The 2026-2027 plan seeks $179.3 million, or MAD 1.65 billion, including $89.6 million, or MAD 824.3 million, for 2026. By June 30, it had received $15.2 million, or MAD 139.8 million—17% of the amount requested for 2026. The WFP works with the Algerian Red Crescent and other partners to provide food assistance, but the report says insufficient funding prevents aid from meeting families’ needs.
Funding gaps are putting more pressure on health and nutrition services as child malnutrition and anemia rise. Agencies must plan food, medicine, vaccines, education support and other assistance without a comprehensive registration database showing residents’ numbers and individual profiles. The education system remains vulnerable and relies heavily on refugee volunteer teachers.
A Population Figure Still Unverified
UNHCR continues to use 90,000 as its planning figure for the most vulnerable Sahrawi refugees. The agency has stressed that it isn’t a verified population count. A 2006 UN report said assistance had been reduced to 90,000 beneficiaries and that the figure would guide planning “until a comprehensive registration exercise” could be conducted. UN documents in 2017 and 2018 likewise described the number as a planning figure pending registration.
The UN has called for registration for years. A 2009 UN document said accurate statistics on the number of refugees in Tindouf were unavailable and that assistance targeted 90,000 of the most vulnerable people. In 2026, several speakers before the UN Special Committee on Decolonization again called for registration. Côte d'Ivoire expressed concern about camp conditions and called for a census; Chile said UNHCR should be permitted to register the population.
The census issue remains politically sensitive. Morocco has repeatedly called for registration, while Algeria and the Polisario Front have opposed or resisted those calls. During a 2015 UN discussion, Morocco's representative said the international community should be able to establish “the number and origin” of people in the camps. Former Polisario officials Hamada El Bihi and Mustafa Salma alleged that population figures were inflated and argued that about 20% of camp residents are of Sahrawi origin, with the remainder allegedly including people from Niger, Mali, Chad, Libya and Algeria.
Political Talks and Humanitarian Planning
Guterres urged the parties to negotiate in good faith. He said the humanitarian and political dimensions of the dispute can’t be separated from protecting the population. His report calls for renewed confidence-building measures while humanitarian agencies continue their work amid the unresolved political dispute.
In cooperation with UNHCR, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, proposed voluntary “familiarization visits” for individual Sahrawi refugees to travel to Laayoune and Dakhla. The visits would allow them to see conditions in Morocco firsthand and learn about Morocco's Autonomy Plan. Guterres said the plan can represent “the most feasible outcome” to the dispute.
UNHCR continues to use 90,000 for planning, although other UN-linked assessments have produced higher estimates of the overall camp population. The actual size and composition remain unverified, leaving humanitarian planning dependent on an estimate used for more than two decades.