In a response to a parliamentary question, European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič, acknowledged that the European Commission is aware of the fact that, in March 2018, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had released a report on the number of people living in Tindouf camps, noting that "this report was subsequently withdrawn from all public use."

Indeed, following the publication of this report which contains erroneous data, the UNHCR published on September 28, 2018, an update in which it withdraws this report and specifies that the population of the Tindouf camps is estimated at 90,000.

In its update, the UNHCR confirms that "the official figure" which it takes into account is 90,000, noting that it "will continue to rely on this figure until a full registration is carried out".

"The EU is currently providing humanitarian aid on the basis of a sectoral needs assessment", in the absence of accurate data on the number of beneficiaries, said Commissioner Janez Lenarčič, recalling that there is a crucial responsibility for the EU to minimize the risk of irregularities in the granting of such aid.

"The Union strongly advocates for a meaningful vulnerability assessment for better targeting of humanitarian aid in the camps," he added.