UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned of a worsening humanitarian situation in the Tindouf refugee camps, where thousands of Sahrawi refugees remain dependent on dwindling international aid, according to his annual report submitted to the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.
Guterres highlighted that international assistance to the camps located in Algeria and home to tens of thousands of Sahrawi refugees, has declined significantly, directly affecting access to food, water, education, and healthcare. The funding gap for 2025 is estimated at $103.9 million.
“This situation reflects the fragility of the camps and the continuing dependence of the population on external aid, in the absence of a political solution to their prolonged suffering,” the report stated.
The report’s sixth section, focused on “Humanitarian Activities and Human Rights,” notes that reductions in humanitarian aid from UN agencies and international NGOs have severely impacted life-sustaining services in the five main camps: Ausserd, Boujdour, Dakhla, Laayoune, and Smara.
According to the report, surveys show that the prevalence of acute malnutrition has reached nearly 13%, while stunting rates among children have surpassed 30%, despite Algeria’s efforts to offset a 30% reduction in rations from the World Food Programme.
While the first year of the 2024–2025 Refugee Response Plan brought some gains in funding and awareness, “critical needs remain unmet,” Guterres noted, with women and children bearing the brunt of the crisis, especially in healthcare, primary education, and youth programs.
A donor mission that visited the camps in May 2025 included, for the first time, private sector representatives, in a bid to diversify funding sources.
The secretary-general also pointed to the ongoing suspension of family reunification confidence-building measures under relevant UN Security Council resolutions, further exacerbating the hardship and separation faced by refugee families.
In a separate section of the report, Guterres addressed the issue of landmines, noting that the UN peacekeeping mission MINURSO continued its demining operations from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. These activities included emergency removal of explosive ordnance, road safety inspections, convoy escorts, and risk awareness campaigns.
During that period, MINURSO cleared approximately 1.39 million square meters of land and destroyed 335 explosive remnants of war.
The report also confirmed that the UN Special Committee on Decolonization held sessions on June 10, 2025, to continue its discussions on the Sahara file, as part of ongoing UN deliberations over the decades-long territorial dispute.
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