Addis Ababa, 26 October 2015: The Executive Committee of the African Union Staff Association (‘Bureau’) has decided to financially support the victims of the devastating flooding in the Sahrawi refugees’ camps in Algeria.
Heavy rains and flooding have caused widespread damage to the five camps providing shelter to our sisters and brothers, the Refugees from the Republic of Sahrawi in south-west Algeria's Tindouf region.
The number of people in need could increase as the rains, which began last Friday, are forecast to continue until at least Sunday. Luckily, there have been no reports of casualties among the Saharawi people. Those left homeless are being sheltered by relatives and neighbours, but thousands are still in need of support and assistance. The UN Agencies are urgently appealing to donors for emergency funds to respond to the flooding crisis.
The Sahrawi refugees began arriving in Tindouf in the mid-1970s after Spain withdrew from the Western Sahara and fighting broke out over its control with Morocco. Most of the Sahrawi refugees have been living for some 40 years in the harsh desert area of Tindouf in Algeria.
As our African sisters and brothers in the Saharawi camps are facing this serious crisis, the Executive Committee of the African Union Staff Association (‘Bureau’) has decided to contribute a total of US$50,000 (fifty thousand) on behalf of the AU Staff family. The contributed fund will form part of the African Union intended contribution authorized by H.E. the Chairperson to Red Crescent of the Republic of Saharawi to assist in its campaign to build new houses for the victims.
For further information please contact:
Adil Kumar Bunwaree
Programme Manager
AUSA
BunwareeAK@africa-union.org
Tel: +251-11-551 77 00
or
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I
E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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