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Doha – A recent report from BNN Bloomberg outlines how France stands to boost its economic interests and shore up its waning influence in Africa by recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara territory.
French President Emmanuel Macron declared in July that limited autonomy for Western Sahara under Moroccan rule was the “only basis” for resolving the long-simmering dispute over the region.
The move marked a shift in France’s Sahara policy, with Paris having historically held a position of ambiguity or ambiguous neutrality to avoid alienating either Algeria or Morocco.
According to the Bloomberg report, published on September 17, “maintaining good relations with Morocco could help to shore up French security interests in the region bordering the Sahara, where a succession of military coups have toppled governments that had cooperated with France in combating militant Islamist groups.”
Morocco has already struck economic and defense agreements with countries like Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad, the report notes, adding: “Morocco already has a foothold in many West African nations through investments in finance, mining and telecommunications.”
France also has its eye on “multi-billion dollar contracts that Morocco plans to award for new infrastructure and clean energy projects,” according to Bloomberg. These include extending a high-speed railway, building nuclear power plants, and investing in food production, green hydrogen and desalination.
The report highlights Morocco’s proposal for “a highway and rail link to connect landlocked nations in the Sahel, a semi-arid region on the southern fringe of the Sahara, to a proposed $1 billion deep-sea port and economic zone in Western Sahara.” A planned natural gas pipeline from Nigeria would also cross the territory to connect Africa to Europe.
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However, France’s stance has provoked anger from Algeria, which backs the separatist Polisario Front in Western Sahara. Algeria accused France of “endangering the broader region” and withdrew its ambassador from Paris in protest.
Despite the diplomatic fallout, the report notes that “France remains a significant importer of Algerian gas and the North African country’s biggest investor outside of the energy sector. Millions of France’s citizens are of Algerian descent, ensuring the French consulate in Algiers is always busy.”
In boosting ties with Morocco, Bloomberg argued, France’s position “dealt a blow to the Sahrawi pro-independence Polisario Front that claims to be the only legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people.”
But historic as it is, France’s decision to unambiguously embrace Morocco’s Western Sahara stance is part of an increasingly triumphant trend that has seen major international players describe the Moroccan autonomy plan as the best route to a viable solution to the Sahara dispute.
The US recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in December 2020, with Spain following suit in March 2022.
The Bloomberg report concludes, however, that the need for greater international recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the region suggests that “obstacles remain to a fuller resolution of the conflict.”
