The European Parliament was the scene of intense diplomatic battle this week around the Sahara. The issue: an annual report on human rights and democracy in the world.
The recent visit of Pedro Sanchez to Rabat, during which he reaffirmed his support for the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara and congratulated King Mohammed VI on his regional initiatives, was not appreciated by Algeria. Relations between the two countries are at their worst.
The Algerian authorities are said to have canceled at the last minute the visit of the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, due to his opposition to addressing the Sahara issue during this trip.
Algeria continues to attack Morocco on the Sahara issue. The Chief of Staff of the People’s National Army, Saïd Chengriha, finds similarities between the Israeli army’s attack on Gaza and the "illegal" occupation of the Sahara by Morocco.
The Royal Armed Forces (FAR) would have begun to strengthen their presence in the buffer zone of the Moroccan Sahara, in the Aousserd region, about 260 kilometers from the city of Dakhla.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is said to have agreed to transfer the management of the airspace of the Sahara, currently controlled from the Canary Islands, to Morocco, in exchange for the opening of customs offices in Ceuta and Melilla.
As could be expected, Pedro Sánchez’s visit to Rabat this week was not viewed favorably by Algeria. The country of Abdelmadjid Tebboune has been in crisis with Spain since it expressed its support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara.
In order to quickly normalize its relations with Morocco, France would be preparing to officially recognize the Moroccanness of the Sahara.
The French ambassador to Morocco, Christophe Lecourtier, stated that it is impossible to build a solid future between the two countries without clarifying the French position on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara.
In response to the cooperation project between Morocco and Mali aimed at connecting the Sahel to the Atlantic via the Sahara, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announces the "creation of free trade zones with the brotherly countries starting with Mauritania, then Mali and Niger, in addition to Tunisia and Libya".
The new French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné, intends to "personally" work towards the normalization of Franco-Moroccan relations, which have been tense for two years due to Paris’ rapprochement with Algiers and its ambiguous position on the Sahara issue.
The Polisario Front plans to take legal action against the Spanish group Senator Hotels & Resorts, which has announced the upcoming opening of a hotel in the city of Dakhla , in the Moroccan Sahara.