Algeria floods - winter 2006

The disaster

Between the 10 and 11 February rare torrential rains flooded the region of Tindouf, in the western part of Algeria. The area is situated some 55km from the Moroccan and Mauritanian borders and is populated by refugee camps reportedly hosting some 12,000 families.

UNHCR reported that three of the five Sahrawi refugee camps have been flooded, destroying nearly 50 percent of shelters and leaving, according to initial estimates, some 50,000 refugees homeless.

Request for Assistance

The European Commission's Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) received from the United Nations' refugee agency UNHCR a request for assistance to transport 2000 tents from Jordan to Algeria on 14 February 2006. The tents are required to provide temporary shelter for the residents of the refugee village, which was constructed from mud bricks and has been destroyed by the flood waters.  With the Community Mechanism for Civil Protection thus activated, the MIC broadcast this request to the participating states.

The United Nations have meanwhile released an additional request for fixed wing strategic airlift. This was required to transport plastic sheeting, blankets, mattresses, jerry cans and rub-halls from Jordan to Algeria.

This is the first time that military means have been explicitly requested through the Mechanism for a civilian relief operation, with the Commission and Council cooperating closely in the effective use of the military assets. It is also the first time that the UN requested specific assistance through the Mechanism, demonstrating the EU's commitment to supporting the UN in disaster relief assistance.

Assistance provided

In response to the MIC request, Portugal offered an airplane type C130 through the MIC for immediate deployment in Jordan on 15 February 2006. This offer has been formally accepted by both UNHCR and the Government of Algeria. The Portuguese aircraft arrived in Algeria on Sunday 19 February, delivering approximately 220 tents, and meanwhile has returned to Portugal.

In liaison with the EU Military Staff, Italy offered a C130 through the MIC. The aircraft could transport up to 476 tents. It landed in Algeria on Sunday 19 February at 17h15, delivering 2000 lbs of cargo (approx. 230 tents), and has meanwhile returned to Italy. A further Italian airlift arrived in Tindouf on 25 February 2006.

France offered a C130 through the MIC, which performed two strategic airlifts from Jordan to Algeria on 26 and 28 February 2006.

This follows a grant amounting to €900,000 of humanitarian aid by the Commission (ECHO).

Furthermore, UNHCR informed that Turkey and the US performed 2 airlifts respectively. Following the provision of this logistical civil protection assistance, operation was closed on 3 March 2006.