The European
Parliament adopted a resolution on humanitarian aid to Sahrawi refugees.
The text
adopted in plenary had been tabled as a joint resolution by the EPP-ED, PES,
ALDE, Greens/EFA, and GUE/NGL groups.
Parliament
recalls that the Sahrawi population finds itself in refugee camps in Algeria
as a result of unfinished decolonisation and that the survival of this
population is entirely dependent on international humanitarian aid. Having
regard to the deterioration in the humanitarian situation in Sahrawi refugee
camps (situated near Tindouf in south-western Algeria), the European
Parliament calls for a reaction from the European Union.
In particular,
it calls on the Commission to :
- grant
immediate emergency aid to enable the difficult situation of the Sahrawi
population currently living as refugees to be addressed;
- step up and
diversify its aid so that it is brought up at least to the 2002 level,
thus guaranteeing a decent minimum diet to the Sahrawi refugees, while
continuing to place importance on the areas of health, education,
accommodation and transport;
- take appropriate
steps to ensure that the aid provided to Sahrawi refugee camps is
guaranteed and is under no circumstances interrupted, even momentarily,
for merely administrative reasons;
- involve the
European NGOs which already have experience on the ground in implementing
the ECHO programmes for the Sahrawi refugees;
- strengthen
the capacities for administering humanitarian aid in the refugee camps
by cooperating with the Sahrawi institutions.