Algeria halts Sahrawi transit amid rise in irregular migration

The Algerian military has stopped issuing permits allowing Sahrawis to legally exit the Tindouf camps and travel to Algeria, from which many continue across the Mediterranean sea and reach the Balearic Islands, reported Yabiladi on 23^rd August.

Rising numbers of migrants have been crossing from Algeria to the Balearics, making the dangerous journey in makeshift boats. Of those reaching the Islands in 2025, 57% were recorded as sub-Saharan and 42% as Maghrebi nationals. In total, irregular entries to the islands have risen by 170% this year, and among the migrants are many refugees from Western Sahara, according to the outlet.

“Concerned about a potential mass migration to Spain, the Front’s leadership has requested an increased Algerian security presence in the camps,” a Sahrawi source told the outlet, referring to the Polisario Front, an independence movement backed by Algeria in Western Sahara.

The Sahrawi people originate from Western Sahara, a disputed territory in north-west Africa that was a Spanish colony until 1975 and is claimed by both Morocco and the Polisario Front. Algeria supports the Polisario’s desire for self-determination in Western Sahara, seeing it as a basic right. The battle for autonomy in Western Sahara reflects regional tensions and strategic interests and stems from 50 years of occupation.

These travel restrictions for Sahrawis come as irregular migration from Algeria to the Balearics has increased by 77%, the outlet stated, according to data from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior. This contrasts with the rest of Spain, which has seen a 29.3% decrease in irregular migration since 2024.

A media platform close to the Polisario Front has acknowledged the growing exodus of young Sahrawis to Spain, urging leaders to “manage” the trend in order to advance the movement’s agenda in the Iberian Peninsula, according to the outlet.