After strict measures for several month, the pandemic has now arrived the vulnerable Saharawi refugee camps in Algeria.
Saharawi authorities announced on 23 July the first four cases of covid-19 in the Saharawi refugee camps in Algeria. The camps are refuge for around 200.000 refugees who have lived in exile since Morocco illegally invaded their homeland in 1975.
The Saharawi health ministry announced that one of the four cases is critical, while the three others have few or no symptoms. The cases were reported in the centrally located camp Boujdour, in the administrative hub Rabouni, as well in the very distant and isolated camp of Dakhla.
“Our vulnerable situation means that we have to double our efforts in the time to come”, the Saharawi health minister wrote on Twitter yesterdy afternoon.
The virus spread rapidly in the occupied terrtory end of June to beginning of July. At the same time, the prevalence increased in the Algerian region of Tindouf, where the Saharawi camps are located. No cases have so far been reported in the part of Western Sahara which is not under occupation.
Follow the latest news regarding the corona sitution in Western Sahara on our website.
UN experts urge Morocco to stop repressing Saharawis in Occupied Western Sahara
In a statement published last week, eight UN Special Rapporteurs have denounced Morocco’s ongoing campaign of repression, racial discrimination, and violence against Sahrawi human rights defenders, journalists, and advocates for self-determination, covering 79 victims as reference cases.
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.