Western Sahara: Colombia backs Moroccan sovereignty

Algeria and its allies are becoming increasingly isolated as Colombia confirms its support for Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara, according to the pro-Moroccan Yabiladi and agencies on August 9th.

Colombia has confirmed its backing of the Moroccan Autonomy Plan, or Resolution 2797, which would grant the Western Sahara limited self-governance under Moroccan control.

Through its support of Moroccan sovereignty, Colombia joins 130 nations in supporting the plan, which is perceived as a credible solution to a territorial dispute that has persisted since Spanish colonial rule ended in 1975.

However, the Algerian-backed Polisario Front has rejected the plan and demands an independence referendum, a demand that has been repeatedly denied.

Polisario militants claim to fight for self-determination for the Sahrawi people, who are indigenous to the Western Sahara but have been displaced by decades of conflict, with many residing in refugee camps, such as Algeria’s Tindouf camps.

Hezbollah militants, Tuareg and Kurdish separatists have allegedly been hosted in the Polisario-controlled camps, leading to concerns about growing extremism.

The Polisario Front has “strongly condemned” Colombia’s support for Moroccan sovereignty and claims that this position helps “legitimise a situation resulting from the military occupation of a territory that remains subject to a decolonisation process.”

Furthermore, Polisario said it regretted that the decision came “in the context of the announced suspension of diplomatic relations with prominent Latin American countries and the closure of embassies in major African capitals.”

Since 1976, Polisario militants have recognised the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), with which Colombia established diplomatic ties in 1985 under then-President Belisario Betancur.

However, President Andrés Pastrana suspended these ties in 2002; former President Gustavo Petro restored ties in 2022.

Growing global support for Resolution 2797 has led the Polisario Front to become increasingly diplomatically isolated.

Latin American nations, including Panama, have expressed support for Moroccan sovereignty, along with several African nations, including Mali, Guinea-Bissau and Burundi.

Moroccan sovereignty is backed by the US and several European nations, including Britain, France and Spain.

Sahrawi activists have accused Morocco and its allies of exploiting the resource-rich Western Sahara through foreign investment in the region, particularly the El Guerguerat border post, which is the only land crossing connecting Morocco to Mauritania and West Africa.

Yabiladi and agencies, Maghrebi.org