Morocco: International meeting in Dakhla highlights relevance of Autonomy Plan for Sahara

Several civil society activists and African diplomats have stressed, Saturday in Dakhla, the relevance of the autonomy plan presented by Morocco to end the artificial conflict over the Sahara.

This came during an international meeting on Morocco’s autonomy plan, which was organized by the France-based Sahrawi Association of Solidarity for the Autonomy and Sustainable Development Project, as part of the festivities marking the celebration of the 19th birthday of Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan.

Participants highlighted the growing international momentum in favor of Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara and the diplomatic victories scored by the Kingdom, stressing that Morocco continues the development effort of the southern provinces that have experienced strong growth in terms of development projects and various investment opportunities in several productive sectors.

Taking the floor, former minister of Senegalese expatriates, Ngone Ndoye, reaffirmed Senegal’s long-standing support for the Moroccan Sahara and the autonomy plan, as a realistic solution to this artificial regional dispute.

Senator Ndoye, who is the chair of the Committee on Population, Health and Social Action at the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, underlined the “unwavering” stance of Senegal on this issue, given the strong and solid relations binding the two countries, which led to the opening of the Consulate General of her country in Dakhla.

She said that the autonomy plan is based on building a modern democratic society, based on the rule of law, individual and collective freedoms and economic and social development, within the framework of respect for the sovereignty of the Kingdom.

In this regard, she recalled the resolutions of the Security Council that enshrine the preeminence of the autonomy plan as a credible, serious, realistic solution to settle this regional dispute.

For her part, former Secretary General of the Ministry of Security of Burkina Faso, Maimouna Thiombiano, said that her country supports the Moroccanness of the Sahara, and that Morocco has a comprehensive strategy to consolidate and diversify its actions in the African continent, including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Referring to the security component, Thiombiano stressed that her country has been fighting terrorism since 2015, and that the fight against this phenomenon requires the assistance of all African countries, including Morocco.

Moreover, she underlined that African women must unite and move forward to ensure the unity of Africa and its development.

For her part, the president of the Sahrawi Association of Solidarity and Awareness-raising on the Autonomy and Sustainable Development Project in France, Zahra Hidara, welcomed the successive victories of Moroccan diplomacy in favor of the national cause and the opening of numerous consulates in the southern provinces of the Kingdom, thanks, she said, to the enlightened vision of King Mohammed VI.

Hidara hailed, in this regard, the Spanish position highlighting the relevance and credibility of the autonomy plan to settle the artificial conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.

She also called for an end of the ordeal and suffering endured by the populations held against their will in the Tindouf camps, and for allowing them to return with dignity to their homeland, Morocco.

On her part, Sheikha Noora Bint Khalifa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain welcomed, in a statement to MAP, the opening of the Consulate General of her country in Laayoune, an initiative that reflects the strength of relations between the two countries.

She also highlighted the huge investment opportunities in the Moroccan Sahara, calling for sustainable business cooperation with women entrepreneurs from the southern provinces.

This international meeting was marked by an exhibition of local handicrafts and a visit to the border post of El Guerguarat, in addition to the screening of the latest film by director Rabii El Jawhari, “Siga”, which addresses the issue of the territorial integrity of Morocco and the unwavering commitment of the Moroccan people to national unity.