Why is Algeria mad over France backing of Morocco on Western Sahara?

For almost 50 years, the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara has been a contested area in northern Africa. It is claimed by Morocco, while an Indigenous independence movement, supported by neighbouring Algeria, has fought for control.

Recently, France, one of the primary former colonial powers in the region, has changed its stance by endorsing a plan that grants the region limited autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty. In response, Algeria, Morocco’s staunch rival, swiftly condemned the move and declared it would withdraw its ambassador from France.

The arguments

France has fully endorsed a Moroccan proposal, initially introduced in 2007, which offers Western Sahara limited autonomy while maintaining Moroccan control.

In a letter to King Mohammed VI of Morocco made public on Tuesday, President Emmanuel Macron stated that Morocco’s plan is “the only basis for achieving a just, lasting, and negotiated political solution in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions.”

This marks a significant shift from France’s previous stance. Previously, French officials considered Morocco’s autonomy plan a “serious and credible” basis for discussion but not the sole option.

In the letter, sent to the king on the 25th anniversary of his ascension to the throne, Macron asserted, “I consider that the present and the future of Western Sahara fall within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty.”

Other nations, including Spain, have already supported Morocco’s plan. In 2020, during the Trump administration, the United States recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in exchange for Morocco normalizing relations with Israel.

Mr. Macron’s letter was met with jubilant headlines in Morocco, where the king’s office described it as an “important and significant evolution.

However, the reactions from the Polisario and Algeria were swift and critical.

Algeria condemned France’s decision and announced it would withdraw its ambassador from Paris. The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused France of “flouting international law”.

Sidi Omar, the Polisario’s representative at the United Nations, labeled France’s stance as “hostile and escalatory” towards the Sahrawi people on the social media platform X.

The facts

Western Sahara is a vast, arid region on the northwestern edge of Africa, larger than Britain but home to only about 600,000 people.

Even during Spanish control, Morocco, which lies just north of Western Sahara, claimed sovereignty over the territory. In 1975, after Spain withdrew, Morocco annexed the region, sparking a 16-year armed conflict with the Polisario Front, an independence movement representing the region’s Indigenous Sahrawi ethnic group. A UN-brokered cease-fire was established in 1991 but was broken in late 2020. Despite this, the region has remained relatively stable recently. Morocco controls most of the territory, including the entire 500-mile-long Atlantic coast, while the Polisario occupies parts of the desert interior.

Numerous countries, including most in Africa, have officially recognized a Sahrawi Republic, though major global powers and the United Nations have not.

Algeria, which borders both Morocco and Western Sahara, actively supports the Polisario and hosts over 100,000 Sahrawis in refugee camps, as well as the Polisario’s leadership.

While Algeria does not claim Western Sahara itself, it remains a significant point of contention in its regional rivalry with Morocco. Once it became clear that Western Sahara was becoming a Moroccan expansionist project, Algeria’s concern grew. Algeria’s involvement is also driven by ideological sympathy for the Polisario’s fight for self-determination and its desire to influence the political landscape in North Africa.