Western Sahara: Bahrain reaffirms support for Morocco

Bahrain has reaffirmed its support for Resolution 2797 as a solution to the long-standing Western Sahara territorial dispute, as reported by the Moroccan government-friendly North Africa Post and agencies on January 13th.

During a January 13th meeting in Manama with Morocco’s Speaker of the House of Councillors, Mohamed Ould Rachid, the chairman of Bahrain’s Shura Council, Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh, expressed a supportive stance on the resolution.

Resolution 2797, also known as the Moroccan Autonomy Plan, seeks to resolve the Western Sahara dispute by granting the territory limited self-governance under Moroccan sovereignty.

The plan was endorsed at the UN Security Council on October 31st, and is widely considered the most “feasible solution” to the 50-year territorial dispute, which began when Spanish colonial rule ended in 1975.

Bahrain is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which reaffirmed its support for Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara at the 46th GCC Supreme Council session, held in Bahrain on December 5th, 2025.

Attempts to strengthen the partnership between Morocco and the GCC have been increasing, following the GCC’s endorsement of Resolution 2797, which has led to Morocco receiving an invitation to attend the GCC summit in December 2024.

Ties between Morocco and GCC member states go beyond resolving the Western Sahara dispute, as plans were announced in May for the UAE to invest $13 billion into the Kingdom’s struggling water and energy sector.

Furthermore, Bahrain and Morocco are also part of the US-backed Abraham Accords, an agreement established in 2020 to normalise relations between Israel and Arab countries.

By normalising ties with Israel, the Abraham Accords opened up new trade corridors between some of the region’s most successful economies, such as investment opportunities in Jerusalem and regional security agreements.

Similarly, Israel reportedly views defence cooperation with Morocco as a gateway to North and West Africa, where military ties will allow Israel to extend its security reach beyond the eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf.

It was reported on November 24th that Morocco and Bahrain were included in a list of eight countries to benefit from a multi-million-dollar US military support plan, which would provide long-term maintenance, repair, and replacement support for F-16 fighter jet components.

The contract is part of the Pentagon’s Cyber Resiliency Program, which aims to enhance digital systems against cyber threats and increase the durability of military aircraft.

North Africa Post and agencies, Maghrebi.org