Morocco continues to defend its territorial sovereignty and claims Western Sahara as its sovereign territory. The North African country has received significant support for the proposed autonomy of the Sahrawi region on Morocco’s map and continues to press for this initiative to be officially recognized as a definitive solution to the Sahrawi dispute.

In this term, Omar Hilale, ambassador and permanent representative of Morocco to the United Nations (UN), spoke at the New York headquarters this Tuesday on the occasion of the general debate of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly to highlight the North African proposal. countries for Western Sahara in the “only” real solution and legitimate to end territorial problems in the area.

In his speech at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, Omar Hilale highlighted that more than 100 countries in the world have shown their support for Morocco’s autonomy formula for Western Sahara, with up to 30 countries and various organizations having opened diplomatic delegations across the region in Dakhla and El Aaiún, all of which Morocco considers its southern provinces.

The North African country’s proposal involves broad autonomy for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty. An initiative that allows the Sahrawi Government to manage many areas, leaving foreign and defense policy in the hands of the Moroccan State; all this respects UN resolutions, as also highlighted by Omar Hilale. A formula that functions to develop regions administratively, socially and economically. The proposal received important support such as from the United States, Israel, Germany, the United Arab Emirates or Spain (former colonial powers in the region), who saw this idea as the most serious, credible and realistic way to resolve the Sahrawi dispute. .

On the opposite side, The Polisario Front, with Algerian support, defends holding a referendum on the independence of the Sahrawi people, which is difficult to implement and lacks international support, as pointed out by various analysts.

At this point, Morocco continues to support the efforts of the UN Secretary General’s special envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, working along lines of dialogue with all parties involved to reach an agreement.

In recent months, De Mistura held various consultations with representatives of Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and members of the “Group of Friends”, among them are Spain, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom and France. That is, with all parties who have something to do with the Sahrawi issue. He also visited the Tindouf camp in the Algerian region, where he was able to see the difficult conditions experienced by people who needed a solution to the Sahrawi problem.

The Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN explained at the General Assembly that the kingdom of Morocco is implementing a new development model for the southern provinces with an investment of 10 billion dollars that already has an implementation rate of more than 80%, with the launch of various social and economic projects that will enable the region to establish itself as a pivot of exchange between Africa and the rest of the world, as reported by Morocco’s official news agency, MAP.

Omar Hilale stated that Staffan de Mistura himself had also been able to personally verify the development that had been carried out in the area. with his visit in September to Dakhla and El Aaiún, in what is considered the Moroccan Sahara.

“This massive effort is part of the implementation of His Majesty King Mohamed VI’s high guidelines, set out in the Ruler’s speech on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the Green March, on 6 November 2022,” Hilale recalled. In his speech, King Mohamed VI emphasized that “the approach to maintaining Moroccan identity in the Sahara is based on an integrated vision that combines political and diplomatic action with socio-economic improvement and human development in the region.”

Morocco points to Algeria

Omar Hilale also had words for Algeria, Morocco’s big rival in the region, especially after Algeria’s decision to sever diplomatic relations with the Moroccan kingdom in August 2021 after accusing it of “hostile acts”, despite the fact that king Mohamed VI had reached out to Morocco. handed it over to his neighbors many times Algeria to maintain good relations between the two neighboring Maghreb countries.

Morocco’s permanent representative to the UN expressed Rabat’s concern regarding the complex humanitarian situation in the Tindouf camps, for which Algeria must be responsible because they are located in its own territory.

Morocco considers Algeria to have illegally ceded territorial control to the Polisario Front. considered an armed separatist militia that causes destabilization in the region.

Omar Hilale appealed to the international community over Algeria’s refusal to allow a census of people living in refugee camps and also condemns the alleged misuse and mismanagement of international humanitarian aid aimed at Sahrawi refugees in the region, as noted in various reports from various organizations, such as the World Food Program (WFP) Report published in January 2023, as stated by the MAP agency. self.

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