C-24: M’hamed Abba Underscores Massive International Support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan

Speaking at the annual C24 meeting, which is held from June 11th to 21st, Abba indicated that this initiative presented by Morocco in 2007 enjoys solid backing from over 107 United Nations member states.

He noted that around thirty countries and regional organizations have decided to open consulates general in the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla, thus marking the irreversible dynamic of the Moroccan character of the Sahara.

“This is a major development illustrating the absence of any other solution to the issue of the Moroccan Sahara than within the framework of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom,” he insisted, stating that the status quo “leaves the door open to security risks, including violence, extremism, human trafficking, and economic exploitation.”

The elected official from the Moroccan Sahara also noted that the autonomy plan, inspired by contemporary models of territorial conflict resolution, is fully compliant with international law and is based on an inclusive and participatory approach. He emphasized that this initiative, described as serious and credible in the 20 resolutions of the United Nations Security Council since 2007, aims legitimately to achieve a definitive political solution to the regional dispute over the Sahara.

This initiative is based on two pillars: the establishment of local and representative institutions allowing the population of the Moroccan Sahara to enjoy their political, social, and cultural rights, and the preservation of Morocco’s historical sovereignty over this region, in accordance with international law, he explained.

He pointed out that the Moroccan autonomy initiative grants expanded prerogatives allowing the Sahara populations to democratically manage their own affairs through legislative, executive, and judicial bodies with exclusive powers. He added that these bodies have the necessary financial resources for the development of the region in all areas and will actively participate in the economic, social, and cultural life of the Kingdom.

“The Moroccan initiative will allow regional integration that will guarantee development, security, and cooperation in the Maghreb, which remains one of the least economically integrated regions in the world,” the speaker further noted.

Abba also remarked that the population of the Moroccan Sahara democratically manages its local affairs and enjoys all fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the 2011 Constitution, as well as its socio-economic rights. He noted that the situation in the southern provinces is, in many respects, more favorable than that prevailing in the Tindouf camps and in any other region of the host country, Algeria.

Responding to the fallacious allegations propagated by Algeria regarding the representativeness of the population of the Moroccan Sahara, Abba emphasized that the elected representatives from the Moroccan Sahara are the only legitimate representatives of the local population who enjoy democratic legitimacy, “unlike a minority that, illusorily and without any legal basis, attempts to proclaim itself representative of these populations.”

He recalled that the legislative, regional, and local elections in Morocco, held on September 8, 2021, were a “democratic success,” allowing notably clear parliamentary political alternation. He specified that the voter turnout in the Sahara region reached 66.94% for Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra and 58.30% for Dakhla Oued Eddahab, the highest at the national level.

He noted that these elections were conducted in democratic conditions and were monitored, independently and neutrally, by 5,020 national and international observers.

For Abba, the participation rates in the southern provinces constitute an explicit plebiscite of the local population on its Moroccan identity and its attachment to the democratic process. “It is also the most evident rejection of the +polisario+ dreams regarding its representativeness,” he insisted, noting that the armed separatist militia “enjoys no legal, popular, or democratic legitimacy to claim representation of the population of the Moroccan Sahara.”

He further indicated that the populations of the Sahara enjoy the same freedoms as their fellow citizens in other regions of the Kingdom, adding that the number of associations operating in the southern provinces has risen to more than 7,997 associations.

The speaker stated that these populations actively participate in the establishment of policies relating to the management and exploitation of national resources, through their representatives in Parliament and the elected authorities at the local and regional levels.

He continued that these populations have political elites at the level of national institutions, regional councils, and provincial councils, specifying that all elected presidents and members of regional and local councils in the Moroccan Sahara are natives of the region, which strengthens the management of their own affairs by the populations.

In the same vein, Abba mentioned the considerable efforts that Morocco has continuously made since the recovery of its territorial integrity to ensure the socio-economic development of its Southern provinces.

He noted that human development indicators in the Moroccan Sahara were 6% lower than those in the Northern regions, but today, these indicators exceed the average of other regions of the Kingdom.

He further explained that this reformative momentum accelerated further with the launch in 2015 by His Majesty King Mohammed VI of the new development model for the Southern provinces. He clarified that this model is a mechanism for the application and acceleration of advanced regionalization, aiming to ensure democratic governance and sustainable integrated human development in line with the specificities of the Sahara region. He added that thanks to the investments made under this model, with project completion rates now exceeding 80%, the Moroccan Sahara region has become an economic hub meeting international standards and a bridge between Morocco, Africa, and Europe.

“Thanks to these achievements, the Southern provinces of Morocco have recorded significant performances, placing them at the forefront compared to other regions of the Kingdom,” he emphasized.

In 2021, the annual growth rate in Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra reached 10.9%, significantly higher than the national average, he pointed out. He noted that the GDP per capita in the Moroccan Sahara is 1.6 times higher than the national average, and household consumption is at least 8% higher than the national average. The GDP totals 52,301 dirhams per capita in the city of Dakhla and 27,442 in Laayoune, he said.

Echoing the same sentiments, Abba underscored that the Moroccan Sahara, distinguished by its dynamism, is on track to becoming a regional economic hub and a logistical platform on the African continent.

In this context, he recalled the Royal speech on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of the Green March, in which His Majesty King Mohammed VI emphasized the need to strengthen the Atlantic facade, a place of human communion and an economic integration hub promoting exchanges between states in the interest of all stakeholders in a win-win approach.

He noted in this regard that the three Royal initiatives, namely the Morocco-Nigeria Gas Pipeline, the Atlantic Africa Initiative, and the Initiative to promote access to the Atlantic for Sahel countries, will turn the Moroccan Sahara into a platform for security, stability, and co-development in Africa, the Atlantic, and beyond.

“The Royal initiatives represent a step forward in the Kingdom’s Atlantic policy, symbolizing the emergence of the Moroccan Sahara as a hub and gateway to Africa for Europe and the Americas,” he stated.

He also mentioned that the new Atlantic Port of Dakhla, construction of which began in October 2021 and will be completed by 2028, will support regional economic, social, and industrial development in all productive sectors and will also provide the Southern provinces with a modern and evolving logistical tool commensurate with their development ambitions, in addition to valorizing marine fishing products.

With a total investment of 10 billion dirhams, this new structure, located at N’tireft, 40 km north of Dakhla, will include an industrial zone of 270 hectares, of which approximately 60 hectares are dedicated to various industrial, administrative, and storage activities, as well as a free zone of 13 hectares, he specified.

He noted that with the creation of an industrial-logistics zone, a zone dedicated to commerce, and a section dedicated to the development of the marine fishing industry, the port of Dakhla will place the Southern provinces on the network of international maritime routes and will make them a regional hub for investment, logistics, and international trade, particularly with the African continent.

He also mentioned that the port infrastructures of Laayoune (El Marsa commune), Tarfaya, and Boujdour have been strengthened to give a strong impetus to the economic activities of the region, in addition to the creation of a new port in Tarfaya. This integrated project, for which a budget of nearly 379 million DH has been allocated, is part of the Halieutis Plan and the national plan for the development of coastal fishing activities, he recalled.

Referring to the expressway that will connect Tiznit to Dakhla over a distance of 1,055 km, the speaker indicated that the works had progressed by more than 90%, highlighting that this project, which is an integral part of the development program of the Southern provinces initiated in November 2015, required an investment of 10 billion dirhams.

These infrastructures will be made accessible to African countries to support their development, reflecting Morocco’s commitment to mutually beneficial cooperation aimed at shared prosperity, he affirmed.

Regarding the “catastrophic” situation prevailing in the Tindouf camps in southwestern Algeria, Abba indicated that the populations trapped in these camps are deprived of their most basic rights and are considered a “commercial asset” used by the “polisario” armed group and the host country for enrichment through the diversion of humanitarian aid.

“The humanitarian situation in the Tindouf camps is one of despair and inaction that has lasted for nearly 50 years and constitutes a threat to the stability of the entire region,” he warned, adding that the systematic diversion of humanitarian aid intended for the population of the Tindouf camps has been once again confirmed by a new report from the World Food Programme (WFP).

He recalled, in this regard, that all Security Council resolutions since 2011 have called on the host country of the Tindouf camps, Algeria, to allow for the registration of the camp populations, in accordance with international humanitarian law.

In this context, he urged the international community to demand that the host country, Algeria, and the “polisario” end the situation of anarchy prevailing in the Tindouf camps, by allowing a dignified return of the trapped populations to their homeland, Morocco.

Source: map