France has declared its support for Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, as Mohammed VI celebrates the 25th anniversary of his enthronement.
According to Reuters, citing a letter sent Tuesday by President Emmanuel Macron, France recognizes an autonomy plan for the Western Sahara region under Moroccan sovereignty as the only solution to resolve a long-standing dispute over the territory. The conflict, which dates back to 1975, pits Morocco, which considers Western Sahara its territory, against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks to establish an independent state there.
France, as the region’s former colonial power, has walked a diplomatic tightrope between Rabat and Algiers on the issue. Most of France’s Western allies already support the Moroccan plan, Reuters reports. “For France, autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the framework within which this issue must be resolved,” according to the letter Macron sent to Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.
“Our support for the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco in 2007 is clear and constant. For France, it now constitutes the only basis for achieving a just, lasting, and negotiated political solution by the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.”
Macron said that Paris considers Western Sahara as part of Morocco’s present and future sovereignty, adding that France would act on this position at the national and international levels. The Royal Palace welcomed the announcement as a “significant development in support of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara.”
Algeria expressed “great regret” and strongly denounced Paris’ decision, adding that there would be consequences, without giving details. Algeria has recognized the Polisario’s self-proclaimed Sahrawi republic and supported a United Nations plan for a referendum with independence as an option.
That referendum, Reuters said, never took place because of disagreements over who should vote and how it should be conducted, and recent UN Security Council resolutions have not mentioned the option, urging the parties to work together for a realistic solution based on compromise.
Spain, Western Sahara’s former colonial power, said in 2022 that it supported Morocco’s autonomy plan. The United States, Israel, and Arab monarchies also support Morocco’s sovereignty over the territory, where 28 countries, mostly African and Arab, have opened consulates in what Rabat sees as tangible support.
The Polisario withdrew from a UN-brokered truce in 2020. But the conflict, long frozen, remains low-intensity.
