Spain : A Minister welcomes children sent by the Polisario

Spain’s Minister of Youth and Children, Sira Rego, a member of the United Left party, on Monday offered an «institutional welcome» to around fifty children from the Tindouf camps, brought to Spain by the Polisario Front as part of the «Holidays in Peace» program. The announcement was made via X (formerly Twitter) by the Polisario’s representative in Madrid.

Seizing the opportunity, Rego delivered a political message, stressing «the urgent need to implement the solution advocated by the United Nations in its resolutions on Western Sahara, particularly the organization of a self-determination referendum for the Sahrawi people».

While Sira Rego is part of the coalition government led by Pedro Sanchez, her party has opposed the Prime Minister’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara since March 2022.

This meeting comes at a sensitive moment for Sánchez’s PSOE, which has been entangled in corruption scandals for several weeks. Politically weakened, the Socialists are seeking to maintain the support of formations like United Left, which help them hold onto power—at least until the next legislative elections in 2027.