Tan-Tan – Several speakers before the UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee on Wednesday raised concerns over the recruitment and military training of children in the Tindouf camps, warning that limited opportunities for young people could leave them vulnerable to exploitation and extremist groups.
Speaking before the committee in New York, Sherry Erb of Oasis Ministries said the issue of child recruitment and military training in the camps had been raised repeatedly at UN bodies and by international nongovernmental organizations.
Erb referred to a Washington Post investigation published in April 2025, which reported that Syrian authorities detained hundreds of Polisario members and child soldiers following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government.
She said some of those detained had come from the Tindouf camps and argued that the case showed the long-term consequences of ideological radicalization in the camps.
Erb also cited the case of Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, a former child soldier who was recruited in the Tindouf camps before eventually becoming the leader of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.
Al-Sahrawi, whom French forces killed in 2021, had previously been associated with the Polisario Front before joining jihadist groups.
Erb warned that the deteriorating living conditions in the camps, including insecurity, crime, and limited economic opportunities, were particularly affecting younger generations.
Concerns over education and indoctrination
Joyce Flynn of Safety and Security Instructional Services said children in the camps had grown up for decades in an environment of isolation, restrictions on movement, and uncertainty about their future.
Citing assessments by humanitarian organizations, Flynn said the education system in the camps faced several shortcomings, limiting young people’s educational and professional prospects.
She argued that stable conditions and access to quality education would be difficult to achieve under the control of an armed movement.
Nancy Huff of Teach the Children International also raised concerns over ideological indoctrination in the camps.
Huff referred to testimonies alleging that children had been taken outside the camps and subjected to military training. She said some families had reported that children were sent to Cuba under the stated purpose of receiving an education but were instead exposed to agricultural work, schooling and military training, including training involving explosives.
She added that dissent inside the camps was suppressed and that generations of children had been exposed to anti-Morocco rhetoric.
Huff further criticized the lack of a comprehensive registration of the Tindouf population, saying it complicated humanitarian planning and contributed to the vulnerability of young people.
UN report highlights worsening conditions
The concerns raised at the UN come days after a draft report by Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted the worsening humanitarian situation in the Tindouf camps.
The report said rates of acute malnutrition, stunting, and anemia among children had continued to rise. It also warned that around 30,000 children under five remained at risk because of disruptions to routine immunization programs. Food insecurity affects an estimated 80% of the camp population, according to the report.
The UN report also pointed to weaknesses in the camps’ education system, which relies heavily on refugee volunteer teachers.
Another longstanding issue is the absence of a comprehensive registration of the camp population. UN agencies continue to use an estimated figure of 90,000 vulnerable Sahrawi refugees for humanitarian planning, but the figure is not based on a formal census. The UN has repeatedly called for registration to establish more reliable information about the population and humanitarian needs.
The UNHCR has also raised the lack of registration. In September, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih described the situation in the camps as “intolerable” and “unsustainable,” pointing to limited livelihood opportunities, poor school infrastructure, dropout rates, and chronic underfunding.
