"We pay closely attention to the situation for the Saharawi refugees, and know that the situation has gone from bad to worse following the floodings in October", Norwegian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Børge Brende wrote in a letter to parliamentarian Trine Skei Grande, on 6th November 2015.
"In view of the precarious situation which has emerged, the [Norwegian] government has decided to give an extraordinary contribution on 5 million kroners to the World Food Programme, which coordinates the food distribution in the camps" Brende wrote in the letter. The amount would correspond to approximately 670.000 Euros.
This comes in addition to what Norway is already contributing with: Norcap has seconded one person, and the Norwegian government is financing a nutritionist for Norwegian Church Aid which is present in the camps.
"This is one of the world's forgotten crisis", Brende wrote regarding the situation of the refugees.
Half of the people of Western Sahara has been living as refugees for 40 years, following Morocco's and Mauritania's military occupation of parts of the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara, which was Spanish at the time of occupation.
The flooding came as a consequence of heavy rainfall. Possibly 25.000 people lost their homes from the rain.
UN body calls for the release of imprisoned Saharawi student
In a decision published yesterday, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concludes that the detention of the Saharawi student and human rights defender Al-Hussein Al-Bachir Ibrahim is arbitrary. The UN Working Group called on Morocco to immediately release him from the deplorable prison conditions.
Two Norwegians Are Now Being Deported from Occupied Western Sahara
Two more Norwegians, who travelled to occupied Western Sahara to learn about Morocco’s controversial energy projects in the territory, were detained by Moroccan police this afternoon and deported.
Norwegians deported from occupied Western Sahara - wanted to learn about renewable energy
Today, 25 Moroccan police officers showed up to expel two Norwegians from occupied Western Sahara. The two had traveled to learn what the Sahrawis think about Morocco's controversial renewable energy projects on occupied land.
UN committee highlights Moroccan impunity in occupied Western Sahara
Sahrawi civil society welcomes a new report from the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearance, and urges exhumations and identification of victims in the Morocco-occupied Western Sahara.