Madrid, September 24, 2026 (SPS) – An event was held to mark the 20th anniversary of solidarity and cooperation between the Autonomous University of Madrid and Western Sahara, in the presence of rectors and officials from Madrid’s public universities, researchers, professors, members of the Spanish solidarity movement with the Sahrawi people, and a Sahrawi delegation comprising Sahrawi Red Crescent President Bouhbaini Yahya Bouhbaini, Polisario Front Representative in Spain Abdallah El Arabi, Polisario Front Representative in Madrid El Khalil Mohamed Abdelaziz, and University of Tifariti Rector Moulay M’Hamed Ibrahim.
The event featured a number of presentations on cooperation with the Sahrawi cause in the humanitarian, educational, health, and cultural fields. Successful examples of cooperation projects implemented by the Autonomous University of Madrid in the Sahrawi refugee camps were also presented.
The President of the Sahrawi Red Crescent delivered a presentation on the current humanitarian situation in the Sahrawi refugee camps, highlighting the major challenges facing the camps, foremost among them the reduction in humanitarian assistance. He called on all international actors and non-governmental organizations to step up their efforts to ensure the basic needs of Sahrawi refugees, particularly in education, healthcare, food assistance, and other essential areas.
The event also witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement between the University of Tifariti and six public universities in Madrid. The university rectors and officials attending the signing expressed their support for the University of Tifariti in various academic fields and areas.
In his remarks, the Rector of the University of Tifariti expressed his appreciation to Madrid’s public universities for their support and solidarity with the Sahrawi people over the past twenty years, particularly through their support for the education, public health, and cultural sectors by providing training and capacity-building, as well as the expertise and skills needed to enhance the work of Sahrawi national institutions.
The Rector of the University of Tifariti also highlighted the opportunities for cooperation between the University of Tifariti and Madrid’s public universities, particularly in the exchange of expertise, professors, and students; the organization of joint research and studies; and the holding of academic seminars and scientific conferences.
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