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Doha – The Director General of the French Development Agency (AFD), Rémy Rioux, announced Friday he will visit Morocco’s southern provinces. This trip puts into action France’s new stance on Western Sahara.
Rioux made the announcement at a press briefing today in Rabat after meeting with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. Rioux framed his visit within the context of the Joint Declaration signed in October 2024 between King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron.
“You’ll remember that on this occasion, President Emmanuel Macron expressed France’s new position on the southern provinces,” Rioux stated. His current mission, he added, represents the “rapid operationalization” of this strategic direction.
The AFD head confirmed his mandate now extends to the southern provinces. “I’m going tomorrow to Laâyoune and Sunday and Monday to Dakhla,” he said. This marks a concrete step in fulfilling commitments made by Paris.
“The southern provinces form a strategic link with sub-Saharan Africa along the Atlantic facade,” Rioux noted, describing it as “a very important framework for action” for the AFD group.
The AFD chief praised the solid partnership between Morocco and France. He affirmed that Morocco remains the group’s top partner worldwide. “Morocco represents more than 3 billion euros in ongoing projects, over 30 billion dirhams, 70 projects underway,” he disclosed.
Rioux added that 80 AFD staff work on the ground in Morocco, which he called “obviously very important.”
His visit is part of the Enhanced Exceptional Partnership between the two countries. It reflects their shared desire to strengthen already rich bilateral cooperation and support inclusive and sustainable development across all regions of Morocco.
His comments build on a November 2024 statement when he first revealed AFD’s plans for the region. “The AFD group will now invest in the Sahara, a link between Morocco and its neighboring countries,” he declared then, according to Challenge magazine.
At that time, Rioux talked about the “pan-African” approach shared by AFD and Morocco to strengthen ties across the continent. He pointed out that AFD’s expansion into the Sahara shows the institution’s commitment to supporting Morocco as a regional leader in Africa through economic and environmental initiatives.
In fact, France had shown interest in Morocco’s southern provinces even before its official July 2024 recognition. In April of that year, French Trade Minister Franck Riester confirmed an AFD subsidiary could help finance a high-voltage line between Dakhla and Casablanca during his two-day visit to Morocco.
This development dealt a blow to the Polisario Front and its main backer, Algeria, at the time. Shortly after, the UN clarified that it does not monitor economic investments in the region, undermining separatist claims that such initiatives breach international law.
Paris has turned diplomatic statements into concrete actions on multiple fronts. Last month, the Occitanie region became the first French region to partner with Morocco’s Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab region.
The European country also expanded visa services to Laayoune residents and updated its official maps to show Western Sahara as part of Morocco, including a recent naval mission map.
During his October visit, Macron told Morocco’s parliament the 2007 Autonomy Plan is “the only basis for a just, lasting, and negotiated political solution” and that “the present and future of Western Sahara fall within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty.”
“Our operators and businesses will support the development of these territories through investments, sustainable initiatives, and solidarity for the benefit of local populations,” he said in his speech.
Last month, the Quai d’Orsay reaffirmed France’s “unchangeable” position. Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called the autonomy initiative the “sole basis” for reaching a political solution, noting growing international consensus for Morocco’s plan.
