Latest news with #HolidaysinPeace2025
Ya Biladi
02-08-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Segovia City Council rejects funding for «Holidays in Peace» program for Tindouf children
In Spain, the Segovia City Council, located in the Castile and León region, has rejected a proposal put forward by United Left councilors to fund the «Holidays in Peace» program. This decision was made on Thursday, July 31. The People's Party, which has held a majority since May 2023, voted against the initiative, as reported by a local media outlet. A PP member even accused the far-left party of «using Sahrawi children for political purposes» before retracting the statement, according to the same source. For context, the previous edition of «Holidays in Peace» saw controversy when the mayor of Madrid, also from the PP, refused to organize a welcoming ceremony for Sahrawi children from the Tindouf camps, sent to Spain by the Polisario. This year, MPs from PSOE and Vox boycotted the reception of minors from Tindouf at the House of Representatives headquarters. It is noteworthy that the government led by Pedro Sanchez approved the reception of «around 3,000 children» from the Tindouf camps this summer. «On the proposal of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration, the Council of Ministers has taken the necessary measures to authorize the temporary stay of minors of Sahrawi origin and the granting of visas to their companions, as part of the 'Holidays in Peace 2025' program», stated the government in a press release.
Ya Biladi
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Spain approves the reception of 3,000 children from the Tindouf camps
The Spanish government has approved the reception of «around 3,000 children» from the Tindouf camps this summer. «At the proposal of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration, the Council of Ministers has taken the necessary steps to authorize the temporary stay of Sahrawi minors and issue visas for their chaperones, as part of the 'Holidays in Peace 2025' program», the government said in a statement. Launched in the mid-1990s, the program aims to temporarily host Sahrawi children from the Tindouf camps. Between 2014 and 2024, approximately 34,500 Sahrawi minors benefited from the initiative, according to the same source. The program is coordinated by several associations supporting the Sahrawi people, the National Sahrawi Delegation, and the Sahrawi delegations of various autonomous communities. The Ministries of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration; Foreign Affairs, the European Union, and Cooperation; Interior; Territorial Policy; and Democratic Memory, along with the autonomous communities hosting the children, all participate in this effort. Over the past decade, regions such as Andalusia, Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha, the Basque Country, and Galicia have been the main hosts for Sahrawi minors under the program. Initially launched in 1979 by Spanish communists, «Holidays in Peace» has since been used by the Polisario to promote its position in Spain. Last year, the Forum of Support for Tindouf Autonomists (FORSATIN) criticized the program, warning about the «uprooting of peace ambassadors». Ten days ago, sources from Spanish intelligence services reported that «dozens of Sahrawis born in the Tindouf camps (Algeria), who had participated in the 'Holidays in Peace' program», were found to be involved with terrorist groups operating in the Sahel, according to the daily La Vanguardia.
