SAHARA PRESSE SERVICE

SPS
SAHARAWI REFUGEES CAMPS/INUNDATIONS/APPEAL

SRC calls on the international community for help so as to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe in the Saharawi refugees camps

12.02.06

Chahid El Hafed (Saharawi refugees camps), 12/02/2006 (SPS) The Saharawi refugees camps (SRC) launched an urgent appeal "to all Governments and international organisations" to help it so as to prevent a real humanitarian catastrophe in the Saharawi refugees camps, which are stricken by torrid rains and inundations since last Thursday, indicated a press release publicised Saturday evening by the Saharawi NGO.

"The Saharawi refugees camps in the Algerian region of Tindouf are stricken, since last Thursday to Saturday 11, 2006, by torrid rains without interruption and inundations that caused considerable material damages and many wounded among the refugees, what pushed thousand families to spend the nights of Thursday and Friday on top of hills around the camps, from fear to be taken away by floods", the text of the press release, of which SPS received a copy, underlined.

"According to first estimations of SRC’s teams, more than 12.000 families at least are now without shelter, knowing that the inundations had taken away the few goods and food they had and that the SRC does not have stocks of tents and did not receive any help pf the kind in 2005, what makes the situation even worst", the press release further added.

The Saharawi Red Crescent also warned against "epidemic threats within the Saharawi refugees because of this situation, especially that the stocks of drugs are empty". The stock of food, the NGO added "will be completely used in March".

SRC also affirmed that the damages did not only touch the shelters of the Saharawi citizens but also Saharawi Governmental institutions of first importance, "such as hospital, clinics and schools". It exhorted the international community to urgently intervene so as to provide for the help Saharawi refugees need before the situation turns to tragedy.

Torrid rain, never seen in the region since 1994, has stroke the Saharawi refugee camps, without interruption, starting from Thursday, and continued for Friday and the first hours of Saturday", declared the Saharawi Ministry of Interior the same in a press release on Saturday, indicating that the inundations that followed the rain caused "material damages and many wounded within the Saharawi refugees".

Despite the precarious situation, the Ministry of Interior would like to inform the Saharawi citizens, everywhere, as well as the public opinion that its services did not record cases of human death or serious wounds among the refugees.

The President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, received yesterday afternoon, at the seat of the Presidency in Chahid El Hafed, an important Algerian delegation that came to investigate on the situation and bring the help of Algeria to the Saharawi refugees. (SPS)

060/090/000 121458 Feb 06 SPS

SPS
SADR/ALGERIA/AID

Algerian ANP dispatched a varied aid and mobile medical teams to the Saharawi refugees camps

Chahid EL Hafed, 12/02/2006 (SPS) The Algerian National Popular Army (ANP) dispatched an important quantity of humanitarian aid as well as mobile medical teams to the Saharawi refugee amps after the rain and floods that stroke the camps starting from last Thursday, declared to SPS an authorised source of the Presidency.

"Algerian ANP dispatched specialised medical teams, composed of doctors, mobile clinics very well equipped, ambulances in addition to food, drugs and water trucks and bulldozers", the same source indicated.

These teams "installed in the Wilayas of El Aaiun, Smara, Aousserd and in the camp of "27 February School", and they started to provide the refugees with the necessary medical care since the first hours of Sunday 12, February", the same source added.

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SPS
SADR/ALGERIA/AID

The President of the Republic receives an Algerian Government’s Special Envoy

Chahid El Hafed, 12/02/2006 (SPS) The President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, received this afternoon at the seat of the Presidency, the special Envoy of the Algerian Government, "who came to hand over a humanitarian aid for the Saharawi refugees to the Saharawi Government after inundations, which stroke the refugees’ camps since Thursday", indicated to SPS an authorised source from the Presidency.

The reception, which took place few hours before the holding of an extraordinary meeting of the Saharawi Council of Ministers, was attended by the members of the Saharawi government, local authorities and cadres in addition to the Governor of the Algerian Wialay of Tindouf and other high Algerian officials.

The Envoy of the Algerian Government expressed to the Head of the Saharawi State the solidarity and support of Algeria, people and Government, under the leadership of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, with the Saharawi people, affirming the Algerian readiness to provide all the necessary aid to the Saharawi refugees to help them face the consequences of the inundations.

The Algerian delegation undertook a visit to the Wilaya of Smara and to the 27 February School camp to see the material damages and the extent of destruction cause by the floods.

The Head of the State, on his part, asked his host to convey, on behalf of the refugees and the Saharawi Government, the gratitude of the Saharawi people in large to Algeria, which never stopped providing support and aid to the Saharawi people since the invasion of the Western Sahara by Morocco in 1975.

An air bridge was organised since Today by the Algerian Government to dispatch the necessary humanitarian aid to the Saharawi refugees, the same source indicated. (SPS)

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SPS
SADR/INUNDATIONS

The Council of Ministers in extraordinary meeting to discuss the general situation after the inundations

Chahid El Hafed, 12/02/2006 (SPS) The Government of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic held an extraordinary meeting of its Ministers’ Council, under the chairmanship of the Head of the State, Mohamed Abdelaziz, at the seta of the Presidency, with the presence of the local authorities of the different Wilayas and services to discuss the last developments of the situation in the Saharawi refugees camps after the floods and rain that stroke these camps for the last four days.

The meeting started with brief reports presented by the Governors of the damaged Wilayas, who informed the Council on the situation of the Saharawi citizens, the extent of the damage as well as the needs and measures to undertake so as to face "this serious situation", according to the Governor of the Wilaya of El Aaiun, Mr. Mansour Oumar.

"All the Dairas were touched, the shelters of the citizens were seriously damaged, especially schools, clinics and the administrations of the Dairas, but there is also an urgent need of food, tents and drugs", affirmed Mr. Buchraia Bayoun, Governor of the Wilaya of Smara

The Saharawi Minister of Interior, Mohamed Lamine Daddi, estimated on his part that "the different authorities have sufficiently managed the situation, but the citizens need urgent aid to face not only the waste of their goods and shelters but also hunger and cold".

Prime Minister, Mr. Abdelkader Taleb Omar, stressed the need to mobilise all the forces and institutions "to be ready to face al probabilities", underlining that "the importance and usefulness of the aid provided since yesterday by the Algerian Government, which had dispatched an important delegation to express the solidarity of Algeria and present a precious help because it arrived at the right time to the Saharawi refugees".

Mr. Bullahi Sid, Minister of Health, on his part, informed his colleagues about epidemic dangers because of the waters of rain, which "risks to cause disease, or epidemics, what requires an urgent mobilisation of our sanitary services and a cooperation with the Algerian mobile medical teams, dispatched by the Algerian National Popular Army since yesterday afternoon to provide the refugees with the needed assistance".

In his intervention, the President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, expressed the gratitude of the Saharawi Government and people for the support of Algeria, which "provided us with a precious aid, not only of food but also drugs, blankets, tents and mobile medical clinics". (SPS)

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