The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has received a U.S.$6.4 million grant from the European Union (EU) to cover basic food needs of Sahrawi refugees in Tindouf, Algeria.
In a statement, WFP said it would use the funds to provide vulnerable refugees with well-balanced and nutritious diet through direct food distribution and food rations such as cereals, pulses, vegetable oil and sugar.
WFP, it is understood, will also provide pregnant and nursing mothers as well as children under five with specialised blended foods and supplements to treat and prevent malnutrition.
About 20 percent of Western Sahara is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, while the remaining 80 percent is occupied and administered by neighbouring Morocco.
The UN considers Western Sahara a non-self-governing territory in the absence of a final settlement.
‘WFP is deeply grateful to the people and governments of the European Union for their continuous support to our food and nutrition programmes’, the statement quoted the WFP Country Director in Algeria, Imed Khanfir, as saying.
‘This contribution is a testimony of the EU’s commitment to the most vulnerable especially that their continuous support comes amidst a global pandemic and economic uncertainty’.
Since 1975, Algeria has been hosting a large proportion of the Sahrawi population in refugee camps near the city of Tindouf.
The majority of Sahrawi population are understood to be dependent on humanitarian aid to sustain basic needs such as access to food, water, and shelter.
Accommodated in five refugee camps, the needy families rely primarily on WFP assistance for food. Employment and livelihood opportunities are also very limited.
The EU is the largest donor to WFP’s operation in supporting Sahrawi refugees in Algeria, donating nearly U.S.$100 million in humanitarian support since 2003.
‘The EU renews its commitment to WFP’s nutrition and food assistance operation in the Sahrawi refugee camps. Limited opportunities for self-sufficiency in the harsh desert conditions of Tindouf mean refugees continue to rely on international aid for their survival’, Head of EU Humanitarian Aid in Algiers, Samuel Marie-Fanon, said.
‘Providing reliable and sustained support to the Sahrawi refugees is essential and a direct expression of EU solidarity with people in need’.
Source: WFP
Photo source: WFP
