The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) considers refugee census an essential tool for their protection, as well as an efficient mechanism for planning and designing refugee assistance programs. In this regard, the UNHCR formally submitted requests to the Algerian Government in 1977, 2001, 2003, and 2005 to allow it to conduct a census of the Sahrawi populations considered ‘refugees’ in the Tindouf camps.
The Algerian Government’s response to the UNHCR Standing Committee in 2005 indicated that census did not pose a problem in principle, but it should depend on the overall settlement of the Sahara conflict.
Following Algeria’s refusal to allow the UNHCR to conduct the The Algerian Government’s response to the UNHCR indicated that registration depend on the overall settlement of the Wester Sahara conflict. operation, and based on a UNHCR inspection report in April 2005, it was decided jointly with the WFP (World Food Programme) to assist only 90,000 vulnerable individuals, effective September 1, 2005. This figure would form the basis of UNHCR planning until the Algerian authorities allow the UNHCR to undertake a full-fledged registration exercise.
Issue of the census of populations in the Tindouf camps / Timeline:
October 1976: Morocco made its first request for the The Algerian Government’s response to the UNHCR indicated that registration depend on the overall settlement of the Wester Sahara conflict. of the populations in the Tindouf camps. The Moroccan delegation asked the UNHCR Executive Committee in 1976 ‘to carry out a contradictory census of genuinely Sahrawi people to determine their exact number’.
February 22, 1977: The High Commissioner sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General on the issue of registering the populations in the Tindouf camps:
‘It is my sincere hope that the proposed census of the « Sahrawi refugees » would contribute significantly towards the promotion of a satisfactory solution of the overall problem’.
March 11, 1977: The UN Secretary-General emphasized in his letter to the High Commissioner for Refugees, ‘I concur with you in thinking that if the three Governments of Algeria, Mauritania and Morocco were ready to accept the idea of a census organized by the United Nations, it would certainly contribute towards the solution of the difficult situation still prevailing in the area. But the question remains are all of them ready to do so?’ The UN Secretary-General concluded his letter by emphasizing that he would resume consultations with the three parties and try to see if the UNHCR proposal to conduct the census ‘could be accepted by them’.
April 27, 1977: The UN Secretary-General sent a letter to the UNHCR in which he indicated that the Algerian authorities had agreed to the UNHCR conducting a census of the ‘refugees’ to compare the statistics from the Tindouf camps with the census carried out by Spanish authorities in 1974. The letter also emphasized that Morocco and Mauritania had not objected to the census. The same correspondence asked the UNHCR to take the appropriate measures to start the census.
May 16, 1977: Disappearance of the UNHCR official in charge of the census operation. An unsigned note suggests that this matter could be related to his efforts to determine the number of ‘refugees’ in the Tindouf camps.
May 18, 1977: The UNHCR sent a note to the Permanent Mission of Algeria in Geneva indicating that the UN Secretary-General had asked the UNHCR to register the ‘refugees’ in the Tindouf region. The letter referred to an agreement given by the Algerian authorities to the Secretary-General on the registration. The UNHCR indicated that the registration would be facilitated by ‘ a method of identifying Sahrawis based on data used in the census conducted by Spain in 1974, which had been communicated to the UN Secretary-General’. The same verbal note described the procedure, human resources, and logistical means required for the registration operation. The Verbal Note indicated that the UNHCR wished to conduct the registration operation as soon as possible and requested the Algerian authorities to provide any useful suggestions on this matter. No response to this Verbal Note is available in the UNHCR archives.
May 3, 1977: The Moroccan authorities agreed to the census in a letter to the UNHCR.
2004-2005: An UNHCR investigation (in collaboration with the WFP) revealed acts of fraud in the management of assistance intended for ‘refugees’ and the inflation of the number of ‘refugees’ in the camps, estimated to reach a maximum of 90,000 people.
August 7, 2006: Request from the High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Gutterres, addressed to the Algerian President to undertake the census of the populations of the Tindouf camps.
September 22, 2006: Response from the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, indicating that the issue of the refugee census ‘is inseparable from the Peace Plan…’
January 28, 2011: The Minister of Foreign Affairs contacted Mr. Gutterres to ask him about the measures taken by his institution to implement the UN Secretary-General’s call for a census of the populations of the Tindouf camps and individual interviews.
June 15, 2011: Mr. Gutteres sent a letter to the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs to inform him that he had raised the issue of the census with the Algerian authorities, without receiving a response on the matter.
March 6, 2013: The Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General to remind him of the imperative of the census for protection and security reasons.
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