Five camps housing about 90 000 Sahrawi refugees have been damaged by a torrential rain and heavy floods in western Algeria, UN’s refugee agency says.
The camps are located in the Tindouf region close to the border with Morocco and Western Sahara.
About 25 000 people were affected; their homes and food supplies were damage. There is still fear that the rain could continue till Sunday leading to a rise in number of people that would be needing aid.
Responding, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) along with the Algerian government and other organizations like the World Food Program and the UN children’s agency are rendering supports ranging from provision of food and drinking water.
The agency is also planning to build makeshift shelters for them.
Sahrawi refugees have been living in the region since the mid-1970s after Spain withdrew from the area and fighting broke out; while the Sahara gets very little rain year-round, when it does rain it can be disastrous for the local communities.
