
Symposium: The Massive Human Rights Violations in Refugee Camps
On September 21, 2022, an international symposium was organized to shed light on human rights violations in the Tindouf camps, located in southwestern Algeria. Since their establishment, these camps have become the site of severe humanitarian atrocities perpetrated by Algerian security services and the Polisario Front, against the backdrop of the conflict over the Sahara. These violations include enforced disappearances, abductions, extrajudicial executions, as well as acts of torture and inhumane treatment. Despite partial acknowledgments by the Polisario, no clear data or justice has been provided to the victims.
The symposium highlighted the uncontrollable nature of the Polisario, which uses the Tindouf camps as a platform to organize abductions, attacks, and terrorist acts, affecting not only camp residents but also citizens from countries such as Mauritania, Mali, France, Spain, and Morocco. These acts, often supported by local and regional complicity, have exacerbated insecurity in the Sahel-Saharan region.
For nearly five decades, these violations have persisted in a climate of impunity, enabled by the lack of effective recourse mechanisms in Algeria. Algeria, as the host state, has allowed the Polisario to act with impunity, violating international norms and refusing to cooperate with United Nations human rights mechanisms. This situation has worsened the suffering of victims and hindered any prospect of justice.
One of the symposium's central points was an analysis of the flagrant violations of the right to life, as guaranteed by Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Speakers condemned extrajudicial executions and the Polisario's incessant calls for violence, as well as the instrumentalization of women and children for violent actions outside the camps. These acts tragically echo the practices of terrorist groups active in the region.
During the event, several renowned experts and professionals shared their insights, including Mr. Emmanuel Tawil, a professor at the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas, and Mr. Lorenzo Penas Roldan, a lawyer specializing in international security. Discussions also addressed the challenges of achieving justice for victims and combating impunity in a context where truth is often manipulated, as seen in initiatives like Algeria’s Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation.
Coordinated and moderated by Ms. Aicha Duihi, President of the International Observatory for Peace, Democracy, and Human Rights in Geneva (IOPDHR-GENEVA), this symposium was a significant step in bringing attention to these imprescriptible crimes. Participants also called for increased mobilization to achieve justice, reparations for victims, and the prevention of further violations in the Tindouf camps.












