Penumbra overthe fields of Sahrawi refugees fromTindouf in Algeria

The collapse of an investment company operating in the Sahrawi refugee camps of Tindouf, Algeria, has sparked protests from residents seeking to recover their funds. The case occurs against a backdrop of heavy reliance on humanitarian aid and reopens questions about the mechanisms for overseeing economic activities in the camps.

A financial crisis in the Sahrawi refugee camps of Tindouf, in southwestern Algeria, is mobilizing residents seeking clarification and the recovery of money invested in a company called Infravest for Contracting and Investment.

According to reports published in September by various media outlets, the company allegedly attracted investments from residents of the camps by promising high financial returns. Its administrator, identified as Sallamou Abba Ali, reportedly disappeared, while investors gathered at the company's facilities in Rabouni demanding answers and the return of their funds.

The exact circumstances of the administrator's disappearance, the number of investors affected, and the total amount involved remain, however, to be independently determined.

The amounts involved are still unconfirmed.

The case has been described by some publications as a possible pyramid scheme, due to alleged promises of high returns and the way the funds were supposedly raised.

One of the sources cited by the press, the Sahrawi activist Mustapha Bouda, presented very high estimates regarding the number of contracts and the money supposedly collected by the company. However, these figures lack confirmation through financial documentation, independent audits, or public judicial investigations. This fact deepens the nebulous areas surrounding the amounts, at a time when various sources allege that Infravest may constitute a Ponzi scheme. What is documented is that the company attracted investments, its operations were interrupted, and its administrator has disappeared, while people are mobilizing to recover their invested money.

Questions about supervision

The episode raisedtheThere are also questions about how a company of this type managed to operate in the fields and raise funds from residents over an extended period.

SomecurrentsThey questioned the role of the structures responsible for the administration of the camps and the existing supervisory mechanisms., although andthese issues, nowithproofin thedirect involvement of Polisario Front leaders in the alleged financial scheme.

Up to now,lacksindependent documentationwhatestablishtheThis connection. The distinction is relevant because the case simultaneously involves alleged financial fraud and a territory with a particularly complex political, administrative, and legal structure.

A population heavily dependent on humanitarian aid.

The crisis is occurring in a community that has faced particularly difficult economic and social conditions for decades.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) reports that there are five Sahrawi refugee camps near Tindouf. Environmental conditions are extremely harsh, with high temperatures, very low rainfall, and limited economic opportunities.

According to data currently available from the WFP, 78% of Sahrawi refugees are food insecure or at risk of food insecurity, while more than 80% of the population is entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance to meet basic food needs. The program currently distributes approximately 134,000 food rations across the five camps.

In 2025, the WFP reported providing more than 22,000 tons of food to approximately 133,000 beneficiaries, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and children in situations of nutritional vulnerability.

The background to humanitarian aid and the OLAF report.

There is, in fact, an important precedent related to international assistance to the Tindouf camps. In 2003, the European Commission responded to allegations of diversion of aid intended for Sahrawi refugees and requested an investigation from the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).

The European Commission later reported that the investigation had identified weaknesses in the humanitarian aid supply chain, leading to the adoption of new control measures.

These measures included transporting food in sealed containers, monitoring distributions, post-distribution monitoring by the WFP, independent follow-up missions, and audits of humanitarian partners.

One particularly important point is that the European Commission itself stated that there was no evidence of further diversion of aid after the implementation of these control measures. According to the Commission, the OLAF investigation also did not lead to the recovery of funds or the initiation of judicial or administrative proceedings, leaving open the question of whether there has been systematic diversion of humanitarian aid in the camps.

Spain and the question of nationality.

The financial crisis also coincides with an important legislative development in Spain related to the Sahrawi population. The Spanish Congress of Deputies approved in September a bill concerning the granting of Spanish nationality to Sahrawis born under Spanish administration in Western Sahara and their first-line descendants.

The text was subsequently sent to the Senate, where it is currently under consideration. The official Senate publication indicates that the proposal was received on September 17, 2026, and that the deadline for submitting amendments and veto proposals is September 23.

The text establishes a mechanism for acquiring nationality by birthright for Sahrawi people born in the territory of the Sahara under Spanish administration before September 29, 1977, provided they meet the evidentiary requirements.

The proposal also covers the direct descendants, in the first degree, of people who acquire nationality through this mechanism, establishing specific conditions so that they can opt for Spanish nationality.

Between a financial crisis and a humanitarian crisis.

The Infravest case highlights a lesser-known dimension of life in the Tindouf camps: beyond dependence on humanitarian assistance, there is a population that also develops economic, commercial, and investment activities in an environment marked by structural limitations and reduced opportunities.

This episode therefore raises questions that go beyond the company itself: how are economic activities in the fields regulated? What mechanisms exist to protect small investors? Which institutions have the authority to investigate alleged fraud? And what mechanisms for recovering funds are available to those affected?

Answering these questions will require more than political statements or estimates shared on social media. It will be necessary to have access to financial documents, contracts, business records, any police or judicial investigations, and, above all, an independent accounting of the losses.

For now, what can be stated with certainty is that there is a financial crisis involving Infravest, there are people demanding the return of their investments, and there are legitimate questions about supervision and transparency.

The financial scope of the case, the number of victims, and any potential individual or institutional liability remain, however, dependent on investigation and documentary evidence.

Meanwhile, the camps in Tindouf continue to face a difficult humanitarian reality. The WFP estimates that 78% of refugees are food insecure or at risk and continues to provide food assistance to approximately 134,000 people.

The Infravest crisis now adds a new concern: the need to also protect the savings and economic resources of a population whose social vulnerability makes any financial loss particularly serious.