Paris, July 30, 2024,The Europe Today: France has endorsed Morocco’s controversial autonomy plan for the disputed territory of Western Sahara, signaling a significant shift in its longstanding position. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed this support in a letter addressed to Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, which was made public on Tuesday.
In the letter, Macron stated that the proposal to make Western Sahara an autonomous region under Moroccan sovereignty is the “only basis” to resolve the long-standing conflict. “The present and future of Western Sahara fall within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty,” Macron wrote. “France intends to act consistently with this position at both national and international levels.”
The Polisario Front, which claims to represent the indigenous Saharawi population, continues to demand full independence for Western Sahara, free from Moroccan control.
Background on the Western Sahara Conflict
Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony in Africa, has been a contentious region since 1975 when Spain withdrew. A war ensued between the Polisario Front and Morocco, which claimed the territory. This conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of Saharawi refugees living in camps across the border in Algeria for decades.
In 1991, the United Nations began efforts to hold a referendum on the region’s status. However, these efforts have stalled due to disagreements over voter eligibility. Currently, most of the territory is controlled by Morocco, while a stretch of land in the east is declared the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) by the Polisario Front. The UN recognizes Western Sahara as a “non-self-governing territory.”
“Whatever hardships Morocco tries to impose on us with the support of France, the Sahrawi people will continue to stubbornly defend their rights until they obtain the definitive departure of the Moroccan aggressor from their territory and general recognition of the legitimacy of their struggle for self-determination and independence,” SADR’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Sidati said on Monday.
Diplomatic Implications
France’s endorsement of Morocco’s plan is a major diplomatic victory for Rabat. The Moroccan Royal Palace described the announcement as a “significant development in support of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara.”
France joins the United States, Israel, Spain, and several African countries that have recently backed Morocco’s position. Western Sahara is rich in phosphate reserves, making it strategically and economically significant.
However, this move has been condemned by Algeria, Morocco’s regional rival and a supporter of the Polisario Front. Algeria criticized France’s decision, calling it the result of “a dubious political calculation, a morally questionable judgment, and legal interpretations that are neither supported nor justified.”
Algeria reported that France had alerted it about the policy change last week. “The French decision is clearly the result of a dubious political calculation, a morally questionable judgment, and legal interpretations that are neither supported nor justified,” the Algerian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
This shift in France’s stance is likely to have far-reaching implications for the dynamics of the Western Sahara conflict and the broader geopolitics of the region.
