Smara refugee camp

Refugee Camp in Tindouf, Algeria

Smara refugee camp

مخيم السمارة

Refugee Camp

Smara refugee camp

Coordinates: 27°29′26″N 7°49′37″W﻿ / ﻿27.49056°N 7.82694°W﻿ / 27.49056; -7.82694
Country|  Algeria
Province| Tindouf
Population

(2003)

• Total

| 39,000[1]

Smara refugee camp (Arabic: مخيم السمارة) is one of the Sahrawi refugee camps located in Tindouf province in southwest Algeria. According to UNHCR statistics and the Algerian Red Crescent, the camp has a population of about 39,000 Sahrawi refugees.[1][2] Attempts to create an accurate census have been met with resistance from the Moroccan government.[3] The refugee camp was named after the Western Saharan city of Smara. It is located about 30 miles (50 km) from Tindouf.[2]

After his visit to the Smara refugee camp, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke of a "human tragedy" and said the world "must act" to help the Sahrawi people. He rejected criticism from Morocco of his remarks on Western Sahara, and pledged to push for action to advance peace efforts.[4]

## Notable people

[edit]

Najla Mohamed-Lamin was born a refugee and she lives in the Smara camp. She opened the Almassar documentation centre and in 2023 she was included in that year's BBC 100 Women for her role in supplying education to women and children.[5]

## References

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1. ^ a b Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, Elena (May 2011). "Protracted Sahrawi displacement" (PDF). Refugee Studies Centre.
2. ^ a b Census of Population, 1950: Special reports. v.4. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1953. p. 80\. ISBN 978-0-936548-18-0. `{{cite book}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
3. ^ "Why Sahrawi refugees don't count on census to provide relief - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012". www.al-monitor.com. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
4. ^ "UN chief rejects Moroccan criticism on Western Sahara". The New Arab. 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
5. ^ Mohamedlamin, Najla (2023-01-25). "How Sahrawis See the Western Sahara Conflict". The National Interest. Retrieved 2023-11-29.