Doha – In a statement to AFP, the Bank Al-Maghrib (BAM) has refuted the recent rumours circulating on social media regarding a commemorative coin featuring a map of Morocco without clearly defined eastern borders with Algeria.
The official quoted in the statement clarified that the coin in question was issued back in 2000 and is not a new release as falsely claimed by some Moroccan pages and accounts.
“The issuance of this commemorative coin dates back to the year 2000,” the responsible source at the central bank stated. “Bank Al-Maghrib confirms that the interpretations related to the map appearing on this commemorative coin are baseless.”
The controversy erupted when images of the 250-dirham coin, minted to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Green March, resurfaced on social media. The coin bears the Arabic inscription “The homeland is forgiving and merciful,” a phrase first used by the late King Hassan II in a 1988 speech addressing Sahrawis loyal to the Polisario Front residing in Algeria. The king reiterated this message in 1996, appealing to Sahrawi refugees with the same words.
Some Moroccan social media users claim that the coin’s design, which does not clearly define the eastern borders with Algeria, imply Morocco’s intention to assert sovereignty over territories currently within Algeria’s borders. However, the Bank Al-Maghrib’s official statement has unequivocally debunked these assertions.
The resurgence of the coin imagery has taken place amidst heightened tensions between Morocco and Algeria, particularly concerning the Western Sahara dispute. Under the Autonomy Plan it presented to the UN in 2007, Morocco proposes granting the region full autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty. Meanwhile, the Polisario Front, a separatist group backed by Algeria, calls for a self-determination referendum.
The term “Eastern Sahara” has gained significant traction on social media during the ongoing political crisis between Algeria and Morocco.
Moroccans use this term to refer to a border region within Algerian territory that Morocco considers to have been part of its national territory, annexed by France during its colonization of Algeria. The two countries fought the 1963 Sand War over this region before agreeing on border demarcation in 1972.
Despite the claims surrounding the coin’s alleged novelty and its purported representation of a shift in Morocco’s official stance on its borders with Algeria, the Bank Al-Maghrib’s statement has set the record straight.
The coin, clearly marked with the minting year 2000, was issued as a commemorative piece and was never intended for circulation. Photographs of the coin have surfaced, showing that it has been in the possession of collectors for years and is available for purchase on specialized numismatic websites.
