Spain approves summer stay for 2,800 Sahrawi children from Tindouf camps

In Spain, the Cabinet on Tuesday approved the reception of 2,800 Sahrawi children from the Tindouf camps as part of its summer program, following a proposal by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.

The government also authorized the issuance of visas for 170 accompanying adults who will supervise the children during their stay. The number of beneficiaries is slightly lower than last year, when 3,000 children took part in the initiative.

The scheme forms part of the Vacations in Peace program, launched in 1979 by Spanish communists. Since 1990, successive Spanish governments, with the support of the country’s autonomous regions, have continued the initiative. Between 2014 and 2024, nearly 37,500 Sahrawi children benefited from the program.

The Polisario also uses Vacations in Peace to promote its political narrative. This year, the Front’s media outlets have described the arrival of the children as «a weapon of memory for the Sahrawi people».

In September 2025, the NGO Africa Culture Internationale denounced the program before the UN Human Rights Council, describing it as «an instrument of propaganda and manipulation» serving the Polisario’s political interests. The criticism echoed concerns raised on June 30, 2024, by the Forum for Supporters of Autonomy in Tindouf (FORSATIN).

At the time, FORSATIN condemned what it described as abuses linked to the initiative, arguing that its primary objective was to «facilitate the adoption of Sahrawi children by European associations and families». Under the guise of creative activities, visits, excursions and therapeutic campaigns, the program was primarily aimed at uprooting the children, the organization claimed.