Madrid, Spain, July 15, 2026 (SPS) – President of the Spanish Congress of Deputies Francina Armengol reaffirmed Spain's historical responsibility towards the Sahrawi people and their right to dignity and freedom during an institutional reception held Wednesday for nearly 100 Sahrawi children participating in the “Vacaciones en Paz” programme.
The Sahrawi children were received at the Congress of Deputies by Armengol and representatives of several parliamentary groups in an event marked by strong political and symbolic significance.
“It is fair that the Sahrawi people achieve the dignity and freedom they have been fighting for for so many years, as recognised by the United Nations,” Armengol said, stressing the need to preserve the bonds of solidarity with the Sahrawi people and Western Sahara.
The President of the Spanish Congress also recalled her personal experience as a host family in the “Vacaciones en Paz” programme.
For his part, the Polisario Front Representative in Spain, Abdulah Arabi, expressed his gratitude for the reception accorded to the Sahrawi children, describing them as “young ambassadors” welcomed at the house of all Spaniards.
Arabi said the children participating in the programme represent “the clearest testimony to the long struggle of the Sahrawi people for self-determination and independence.” He stressed that, despite attempts to undermine the foundations of international law, the Sahrawi people remain committed to their legitimate and inalienable aspiration to live in peace and freedom.
He also highlighted the key role played by host families, describing them as “the pillar of the solidarity movement with the Sahrawi people.” Their daily involvement, generosity and continued commitment, he said, constitute the strongest foundation of the solidarity movement and help keep the Sahrawi cause alive in Spanish society.
Speaking on behalf of the Spanish solidarity movement, Maite Isla, President of the State Coordination of Solidarity Associations with the Sahara (CEAS-Sáhara), highlighted the importance of the programme in enabling Sahrawi children to discover Spanish society while sharing their own reality with the families who host them.
She stressed the importance of maintaining the tradition of the institutional reception at the Spanish Congress as a clear and sustained expression of political commitment to the Sahrawi people and their right to self-determination.
For more than four decades, the “Vacaciones en Paz” programme has enabled Sahrawi children to spend the summer with Spanish families, becoming not only a humanitarian initiative but also an important tool for raising awareness of the Sahrawi cause.
The reception held at the Congress of Deputies once again underscored the continued institutional and popular solidarity in Spain with the Sahrawi people's struggle for self-determination and independence, in accordance with international law and United Nations resolutions.
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