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Rabat — Morocco secured a landmark diplomatic victory with UN Security Council Resolution 2797, which experts describe as a milestone moment in the decades-long Sahara dispute.
Speaking at a symposium commemorating the Green March anniversary on Friday in Casablanca, Samir Bennis, senior political advisor in Washington and co-founder of Morocco World News (MWN), called the resolution “the first in United Nations history to reference Moroccan sovereignty” over the Western Sahara region.
Bennis made the statements during the event organized by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Ben M’sik, Hassan II University.
The expert noted that none of the previous UN General Assembly resolutions — from Resolution 2072 adopted in 1965 through last year’s Resolution — had ever mentioned Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara. “This reference is the culmination of a process that began in 2007,” he explained.
Strategic shift from referendum to autonomy
Bennis traced the diplomatic breakthrough to April 2007, when Morocco presented its Autonomy Plan. The UN Security Council welcomed the plan through Resolution 1754, describing it as “realistic, serious, and credible” — language that signaled international support for the North African country’s approach.
The 2007 resolution marked a fundamental departure from the referendum option that had dominated discussions since the beginning of the millennium. The late King Hassan II had worked to eliminate the referendum option from the outset, and by the end of 2003, the Security Council stopped referencing it in resolutions, though self-determination remained part of the discourse.
“We moved away from the zero-sum equation,” Bennis said. “The referendum principle was based on a zero-sum equation — if Morocco wins, the other party loses everything. Here we moved to a win-win equation.”
Resolution 1754 not only welcomed Morocco’s autonomy proposal but merely “took note” of the Polisario’s submission, signaling the Security Council’s preference. The resolution introduced new language about reaching a solution “acceptable to all parties” and a “realistic option.”
Algeria’s role becomes explicit
Bennis indicated that a crucial development came with Resolution 2440 in October 2018, which introduced requirements for “pragmatism, realism,” and an “implementable solution based on consensus.”
Most significantly, the resolution marked the first time the Security Council explicitly mentioned Algeria as a party to the dispute.
“Resolution 2440 referred to Algeria three times, but subsequent resolutions, until Resolution 2756 last year, referred to Algeria five times,” the expert explained. “This indicates that the Council considers Algeria to be the main party in the dispute.”
Between 2007 and 2018, Algeria attempted to derail Morocco’s diplomatic progress through various means, including raising human rights issues and exploiting Morocco’s temporary absence from the African Union.
In 2013, the US representative submitted a draft resolution attempting to establish a human rights monitoring mechanism, but these efforts ultimately failed to reverse the momentum favoring Morocco’s position.
From legal to political resolution
“From a legal standpoint and from the perspective of international legitimacy, the dispute has been resolved,” Bennis stated, referring to Resolution 2797’s impact.
He explained that the remaining challenge centers on the political relationship between Morocco and Algeria. The UN and US now work to bring the two countries’ perspectives closer together to avoid any regional conflict that could threaten peace and security.
In August of last year, when presenting his book, “The Self-Determination Delusion: How Activist Scholars and Journalists Have Hijacked the Western Sahara Case,” at the International University of Rabat, Bennis said he predicted Morocco would soon definitively close the dispute.
“I couldn’t predict the year because I’m not a fortune teller, but based on objective analysis built on facts that cannot be challenged, I was certain that Morocco was very close to achieving final victory,” he recalled.
Symposium displays national unity
Other participants at Friday’s symposium stressed the Green March’s enduring significance.
Said Iazza, Regional Deputy for Former Resistance Fighters and Members of the Liberation Army in Ben M’sik, Moulay Rachid, and Mediouna, noted that the celebration occurs at a historic moment following Resolution 2797’s recognition of Morocco’s Autonomy Plan.
Dean Leila Maziane of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Ben M’sik pointed to the importance of commemorating the 50th anniversary in this positive new context. She told MWN that the celebrations connect history with the present, engaging students through artistic and creative activities while bringing together national and international experts, journalists, and academics.
Jaouad Bennis, from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Hassan II University, stressed that the Green March remains a unifying national event that connected northern and southern Morocco, marking its 50th anniversary as a milestone in national unity.
The symposium brought together scholars, political analysts, and community leaders to reflect on both the historical significance of the Green March and Morocco’s recent diplomatic achievements in securing international recognition for its territorial integrity, particularly the country’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
