When Morocco see its illusions about Western Sahara shattered

Tags : Morocco, Western Sahara, Frente Polisario, European Union Justice Court,

Morocco has long insisted that the issue of Western Sahara is a closed case, claiming or deluding itself into believing that it has achieved all its goals and managed to convince the international community to accept its policy of colonial fait accompli.

However, just yesterday, the King of Morocco dedicated his entire speech, delivered on the occasion of the opening of the autumn session of Parliament, to the issue of Western Sahara. This is unusual, as he typically refrains from discussing this topic at this event, which is usually reserved for internal matters affecting the daily lives of the oppressed Moroccan people.

The Sahara is not Moroccan, despite what the Makhzen claims

So, what happened to make the Moroccan sovereign break tradition by devoting his entire speech to Parliament to the issue of Western Sahara? This is not a common occurrence. What has just happened is unprecedented. The decisions made by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) are not a fleeting event that will be forgotten in a few days or months; rather, they are a historic event that marks a clear before and after. Before this event, Morocco was feverishly, or perhaps fantasizing, about having closed the Western Sahara issue and having garnered the necessary international support to achieve its aims of occupying Western Sahara’s territories.

After this historic event, Morocco became aware of an obvious reality: all its maneuvers and attempts were nothing more than a storm in a teacup. They merely blinded the Moroccan people, who have now realized that the Sahara is not Moroccan, despite what the Makhzen would have them believe. In fact, the CJEU’s decisions affirm that Western Sahara is a distinct and separate territory from Morocco, and that the Polisario Front is the sole legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people.

The Sahrawi people will remain the masters of their territories

It is worth noting that the fact that the highest European judicial body treated this case, submitted by the Polisario Front, with such seriousness and rigor is, in itself, a clear and direct recognition of the Polisario’s international legal status, despite Morocco’s claims and repeated attempts to undermine the only legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people.

As the CJEU affirmed in this context, the Sahrawi people will remain the masters of their territories and their natural resources. Any exploitation of these resources will remain null and void as long as the Sahrawi people have not been consulted and their sole legitimate representative, the Polisario Front, has not been considered.

A speech that sounds the alarm

These same facts were already confirmed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) fifty years ago. In other words, nothing has changed over the past five decades, despite all of Morocco’s efforts to solidify its occupation of Western Sahara. Fifty years later, the CJEU reaffirms the same historical facts that have remained unchanged and rest on three pillars: Western Sahara is occupied, Morocco has no sovereignty over this territory, and the people living there are entirely distinct from the Moroccan people. These facts have been a thunderbolt for the Makhzen, which, until now, does not know how to deal with it.

Following statements from Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, who tried to downplay the importance of these rulings by calling them a non-event and claiming that Morocco was not concerned, the King of Morocco addressed his people in a speech that raised the alarm. He called on Moroccans to be vigilant in the face of a looming threat over the Western Sahara issue. The only comfort he found was in a letter from President Macron, who recognized Morocco’s supposed sovereignty over the Western Sahara territories, mirroring a similar scenario with former US President Donald Trump, who also recognized this same supposed sovereignty — a recognition that the new US administration quickly withdrew.

The position of the European Commission must be distinguished from those of France and Spain

Shocked by the repercussions of the CJEU’s rulings, Morocco wasted no time in visiting all European countries, desperately seeking support for its cause. It even tried to manipulate declarations made by several of these countries, interpreting them as categorical rejections of the CJEU’s rulings. However, a close examination of these declarations reveals that they cannot all be lumped together. One must distinguish the position of the European Commission from those of France, Spain, and other European countries.

The European Commission acknowledged the three rulings, based on the principle of “pacta sunt servanda” (agreements must be kept), while the statements from France and Spain aligned with their pro-Morocco stance. The declarations from other European countries praised the Euro-Moroccan partnership without further explanation. A well-informed source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that ambassadors from these European states were summoned to the ministry headquarters, where they were asked to clarify the statements issued by their countries.

An undeniable reality

Most of them emphasized that their statements did not indicate opposition to the Court’s rulings or a refusal to take them into account in the future, as the Moroccan Makhzen would have people believe. They insisted that their countries are governed by the rule of law and that they will respect the decisions of the European Court. Some of these ambassadors even expressed surprise at the content of the European Commission’s statement, which prioritized the principle of “pacta sunt servanda” over the rulings of the highest European judicial body.

Morocco — Makhzen, government, and people — has opened its eyes to the undeniable reality that the Western Sahara issue is far from being closed, as it continues to follow international meetings on the matter, particularly throughout this month of October. Alongside the CJEU’s decisions, the meetings of the United Nations Fourth Committee, dedicated to examining the situation in the 17 non-self-governing territories, are also taking place, with a focus on Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa.

The Security Council will have its say on October 16

After the Fourth Committee, the Security Council will also have its say on the Western Sahara issue on October 16, when it receives a briefing from the personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General on efforts to revive the political process for resolving the Sahrawi question. After the Security Council, the General Assembly will also examine the Western Sahara issue at a later stage.

After all this, will Morocco still dare to claim that the issue is closed and that it has achieved all its goals? Indeed, October is the month when Morocco awakens to the reality it has long denied and tried to avoid: the Western Sahara issue is still unresolved, and its resolution requires serious engagement in direct negotiations with the legitimate and sole representative of the Sahrawi people, the Polisario Front, within the framework of the UN-sponsored process.

APS

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