Algerian Party Calls for Sahara Referendum, Boosting Maghreb Unity

The word Polisario is seen on the ground in Tifariti, Western Sahara. (Reuters)
The word Polisario is seen on the ground in Tifariti, Western Sahara. (Reuters)
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Algerian Party Calls for Sahara Referendum, Boosting Maghreb Unity

The word Polisario is seen on the ground in Tifariti, Western Sahara. (Reuters)
The word Polisario is seen on the ground in Tifariti, Western Sahara. (Reuters)

Algeria's Movement of Society for Peace opposition party said a self-determination referendum is the only way to resolve the crisis in the Sahara region, calling for boosting Maghreb unity.

The party held a meeting to discuss the situation in Guerguerat, the buffer zone in the Western Sahara.

The free choice of the Sahrawi people ensures the permanent stability of the entire region, it added, warning that imposing a fait accompli always leads to conflict.

It called for cooperation between all parties in line with international law, to calm the situation in Guerguerat and protect civilians. The region must be safeguarded from security threats that “only serve the colonial powers.”

The Arab Maghreb Union project is the framework that brings together the interests of the Maghreb countries and their peoples at various economic, social, cultural and political levels, said the party, adding. The Union can help resolve the Sahara crisis.

The party also called for the opening of borders and allowing the free movement of goods and people, stressing that citizens of the Maghreb countries are united as “one people” and no issue can undermine the ties between them.

On Friday, the Algerian foreign ministry called for the “immediate cessation” of military operations, deeply deploring the serious violations of the ceasefire in Guerguerat the repercussions of which "would affect the stability of the entire region”

Algeria said it expects the UN Secretary-General and the United Nations mission for the referendum in Western Sahara to carry out their tasks without restrictions or obstacles, and show the impartiality required by the current developments.

Meanwhile, Ambassador of the Polisario Front in Algeria, Abdelkader Taleb Omar, announced that the group “has waited long enough and it now realizes that armed action alone is needed to move the standing waters and rectify the course.”

He said that military action in Guerguerat will introduce a “new dynamic” for the Sahrawi people.



Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo

Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, UN-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns.

Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said.

"I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 6 million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about 4 million Lebanese.

Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said.

The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria.

UN agencies previously viewed Syria as unsafe for large-scale returns due to uncertainty over security and persecution by the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December.

That has changed.

Since taking over, the new Syrian government has said all Syrians are welcome home. A UN survey from earlier this year showed nearly 30% of refugees living in Middle Eastern countries wanted to go back, up from 2% when Assad was in power.

"While the situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve, (UN refugee agency) UNHCR considers the current context a positive opportunity for larger numbers of Syrian refugees to return home, or to begin considering return in a realistic and durable way," Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told Reuters.

As of the end of June 2025, UNHCR estimated that over 628,000 Syrians had crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024, including 191,000 via Lebanon.