France shifts Western Sahara position

August 1, 2024 - France recognised Morocco's sovereignty over the Western Sahara, dealing a blow to the Algeria-backed Polisario Front that claims the disputed territory as an independent state.

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In a letter to King Mohammed VI, France’s President Emmanuel Macron called Morocco’s 2007 plan to offer the region limited autonomy under its sovereignty the “only basis” to solve the conflict.

Macron wrote in the letter, “The present and future of Western Sahara fall within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty.”

Morocco’s plan for the Western Sahara -- backed by Spain and the United States, among others -- involves creating an autonomous region under Moroccan control, similar to Spain’s regions of Catalonia or the Basque Country.

The move is a blow to the pro-independence Polisario Front, which has for decades claimed the territory as home to the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). Algeria recalled its ambassador in France “with immediate effect” on Tuesday.

“The French government has ended up giving its forthright and unequivocal support to the colonial rule imposed on Western Sahara,” the Algerian Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

Strategic ties between France and Algeria are essential -- the import of Algerian gas to France has increased since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.