Somalia supports Morocco’s position on Western Sahara

Somalia has reaffirmed its support for Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region, according to the Moroccan government-friendly North Africa Post and agencies on November 28th.

Following a meeting in Rabat with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, the Somali Foreign Minister, Abdisalam Abdi Ali, praised Morocco’s “serious and credible efforts” to resolve the conflict, which began when Spanish colonial rule of the region ended in 1975.

The UN Security Council voted that Resolution 2797, also known as the Moroccan Autonomy Plan, was a “feasible solution” on October 31st.

Under the plan, the Western Sahara would be granted limited self-governance under Moroccan sovereignty. The proposal has received widespread support from the international community, with 130 nations in favour of the plan.

However, Resolution 2797 has been rejected by Algeria, with the country continuing to back the Polisario Front, a separatist militia which claims to fight for self-determination for the Western Sahara’s indigenous Sahrawi population.

The militant group has been involved in an armed struggle against what it calls the “Moroccan occupier“, and refuses to participate in negotiations, which it believes will legitimise Morocco’s illegal occupation of the territory.

Somalia is not the only African nation to endorse Moroccan sovereignty, as Niger’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bakary Yaou Sangaré, expressed a supportive stance towards the Kingdom following a meeting in Rabat on November 20th.

Following separate meetings in Rabat on November 19th, the Foreign Ministers of Gambia and Malawi also expressed support for Moroccan sovereignty, with Gambia’s Sering Modou Njie describing the proposal as the “only solution” to the territorial dispute.

Ties between Somalia and Morocco have been strengthening in recent years. In 2022, Somalia announced plans to establish an embassy in Rabat and a consulate in the Moroccan administrative region of Dakhla, located in Western Sahara.

In exchange for an embassy, Morocco’s government was expected to provide support to the Somali government’s efforts to combat famine. Somalia’s already dire humanitarian situation has since been exacerbated by cuts to foreign aid by US President Donald Trump.

Both Morocco and Somalia have deepened ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with the latter holding strategic value as a shipping route and trading corridor into Africa.

In May, the UAE announced an investment worth $13 billion in Morocco’s struggling water and energy sector, deepening ties between the nations and resulting in increased tension with Algeria.

On October 25th, Algerian media accused the UAE of exerting “intense pressure” within the UN Security Council, along with “using its wealth to buy political influence at the expense of an entire people.”

North Africa Post and agencies, Maghrebi.org