Ivry-sur-Seine (France), 20 July 2026 (SPS) – The French city of Ivry-sur-Seine reaffirmed its longstanding commitment to the Sahrawi people during a ceremony held at the Guinguette du Port d'Ivry at the end of last week, as it bid farewell to Sahrawi children hosted under the solidarity holiday programme before their departure for Le Havre to continue their summer stay.
After spending several days with host families in Ivry, the children from the Sahrawi refugee camps were warmly welcomed and farewelled by municipal officials, partner associations and volunteer families who take part in this solidarity initiative every year.
The municipality of Ivry-sur-Seine and the team of the Guinguette du Port d'Ivry extended their best wishes to the children for the rest of their holiday in Le Havre, organised through the commitment of the association “Un Camion Citerne pour les Réfugiés Sahraouis”, a long-standing partner of the city.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Sébastien Scarpinato, Deputy Mayor in charge of International Solidarity and the Fight against Discrimination, recalled that the municipality's commitment to Sahrawi children is rooted in the values of international solidarity, fraternity and hospitality that underpin the city's work. He also highlighted the depth of the ties linking Ivry-sur-Seine to the daïra of Mijek, with which the municipality has been twinned for several years.
In his message, Mr Mohamed Ali Zerouali, Representative of the Polisario Front in France expressed his deep gratitude to the municipality of Ivry-sur-Seine, Mayor Philippe Bouyssou, elected officials, host families, associations and volunteers for their continued commitment alongside the Sahrawi people. He stressed that the twinning between Ivry-sur-Seine and the daïra of Mijek represents “a living bond of fraternity, solidarity and friendship between two peoples”, illustrating the essential role of decentralised cooperation in promoting the values of peace, justice and solidarity.
For her part, Ms Leïla Bounebache, representative of the Association of Friends of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (AARASD 94) and President of the Platform for Solidarity with the People of Western Sahara, thanked the City of Ivry-sur-Seine, the host families and all the volunteers involved. She recalled that the summer hosting programme for children from the Sahrawi refugee camps has been organised in France since 1980 and, for more than forty years, has represented a strong symbol of solidarity by French civil society organisations and local authorities with the Sahrawi people.
The speakers also addressed the situation of Sahrawi activist Naâma Asfari, an honorary citizen of Ivry-sur-Seine, recalling that he had been on hunger strike for forty days in protest against his detention conditions in Moroccan prisons. They called for his immediate release, as well as that of all Sahrawi political prisoners, reaffirming their commitment to respect for human rights and international law.
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