The United States embassy in Algeria issued a travel advisory warning US citizens about an «increased risk of kidnapping» in the Tindouf camps, located on Algerian territory but controlled by Polisario Militia.
The chancellery included the Polisario-organized marathon on February 28th, as a potential risk factor in their travel advisory.
The Polisario representative in Spain stated that the US travel advisory comes two weeks before the start of the Sahara Marathon, calling it the «largest international sporting event organized in the Sahrawi refugee camps».
The Polisario has not yet responded to the US travel advisory but criticized the Spanish Ministry for a similar travel warning which discourage citizens from visiting the camps.