(Bloomberg) -- The group fighting for Western Sahara’s independence warned it may ramp up military attacks as Morocco looks to consolidate control of the disputed territory after securing US and French backing.
Those landmark recognitions of Moroccan rule — kickstarted by Donald Trump’s previous administration — are encouraging Rabat to accelerate ambitious green energy, tourism and infrastructure projects in what it considers an integral part of the kingdom. That’s firmly opposed by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which resumed a low-level conflict in late 2020 and calls such developments illegitimate.
Ongoing support from Paris and a second Trump presidency “will only embolden Morocco” and “leave the Sahrawi people with no option but to intensify their armed struggle for self-determination and independence,” said Mohamed Liman Ali, ambassador to Kenya for the Sahrawi Republic, as Polisario and others refer to the territory.
A mineral-rich swathe of Atlantic coastline and desert that’s larger than the UK, Western Sahara has been bitterly contested since its annexation by Morocco in 1975, when former colonial ruler Spain withdrew. An ensuing war that pitted Moroccan forces against Polisario claimed about 9,000 lives until a United Nations-brokered truce in 1991.
The US recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara in the final months of Trump’s first term, in a deal that saw the North African nation restore and boost diplomatic ties with Israel. Spain took a similar step in 2022 and France followed suit this summer. That riled neighbor and long-time rival Algeria, where about 170,000 Sahrawis live in refugee camps.
Shipping Hub
Buoyed by these moves — and a steady stream of other nations opening consulates in the southern city of Dakhla — Morocco is moving forward with long-held plans to create a global shipping hub on the Atlantic, as part of an unprecedented drive to tap the region’s economic potential.
There are risks of conflict erupting between Morocco and Algeria over the disputed territory, the International Crisis Group said in a Nov. 29 report.
“So far, mutual self-restraint and US diplomacy have maintained peace between the neighbors, but hostilities in Western Sahara, online disinformation, a bilateral arms race and the advent of President-elect Donald Trump’s administration are all risks,” it said.
Since a cease-fire collapsed four years ago, Polisario issues regular statements about alleged attacks on Moroccan troops lined on what it calls the “wall of shame” — a massive sand berm Morocco created to protect the 80% of Western Sahara it controls.
Morocco doesn’t publicize military actions in the area and it’s impossible to verify Polisario claims of significant deadly assaults on Moroccan forces. Its Foreign Ministry didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment.
Ali, the ambassador, also sharply criticized Ryanair Holdings Plc’s decision to begin direct flights in January between Dakhla and Madrid and Lanzarote.
“Morocco cannot grant permissions to third parties regarding Western Sahara,” he said. Ryanair said its operations comply with all applicable aviation regulations.
The envoy also dismissed suggestions that increasing Western recognition for Morocco’s plans for Western Sahara mean the end of hopes for independence.
The resumption of conflict has “given more visibility to the question of Western Sahara internationally and highlighted the need to bring about a solution to the conflict for the sake of regional peace and stability,” Ali said. “The game will never be over until the Sahrawi people have decided their future freely and democratically.”
--With assistance from Siddharth Philip.
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