Sahara: Côte d’Ivoire Delivers Staunch Endorsement of Morocco’s Autonomy Plan
Doha – Côte d’Ivoire has emphatically reaffirmed its “full support” for Morocco’s autonomy initiative to permanently end the artificial dispute over the Western Sahara. The declaration, not the first of its kind from the West African country, thundered once again during the UN Committee of 24 (C24) regional seminar in Dili, Timor-Leste, from May 21 to 23.
The Ivorian representative trumpeted Morocco’s substantial efforts toward a compromise-based political solution, driving home the point that the autonomy initiative has secured backing from 117 UN member states. This represents over 60% of UN member states, including two permanent Security Council members.
The indisputable genuineness of Morocco’s efforts in the Sahara
He insisted that the initiative, which the Security Council has consistently deemed serious and credible, adheres fully to international law, the UN Charter, and pertinent UN resolutions.
“It uniquely accounts for the specificities of the Moroccan Sahara, giving its inhabitants the opportunity to actively participate in managing the political and socio-economic life of this region,” the diplomat proclaimed. He noted that these populations freely choose their local and national representatives through regular democratic elections across Morocco.
The Ivorian diplomat celebrated the participation of elected officials from the Moroccan Sahara in the C24’s proceedings. He spotlighted the economic windfall flowing to southern provinces’ populations from massive investments made by Morocco under the new development model launched in 2015.
These achievements have significantly raised living standards and improved the human development index in the Moroccan Sahara, he added.
Côte d’Ivoire, one of over 30 countries that have chosen to open consulates in either Laâyoune or Dakhla, translated its affirmations into concrete diplomatic action by inaugurating a consulate general in Laâyoune on February 18, 2020.
At the time, its diplomatic mission became the fifth representation established in the city, following consulates opened by the Union of Comoros in December 2019, as well as by Gabon, São Tomé and Príncipe, and the Central African Republic in January 2020.
The Ivorian representative also lauded Morocco’s strengthened role of regional Human Rights Commissions in Laâyoune and Dakhla, and its exemplary cooperation with the High Commissioner for Human Rights. These “commendable initiatives and actions deserve recognition and validate the credibility of the broad autonomy initiative,” he asserted.
Senegal has likewise forcefully reaffirmed its support for Morocco’s autonomy initiative during the same C24 seminar. Ambassador Diamane Diome declared that the initiative represents “a compromise solution consistent with international law, the UN Charter, and various Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.”
He also expressed satisfaction that Senegal opened a Consulate General in the Moroccan Sahara on April 5, 2021.
The beginning of the end for Polisario’s separatist illusions?
Even countries that once championed the Algeria-sponsored Polisario Front have disavowed their past stances, turned the page, and reversed course—abandoning a failed, outdated position in favor of Morocco’s credible Autonomy Plan.
This wave of reversals now echoes inside the UN General Assembly, where Rabat’s growing bloc of allies is preparing to strike at the heart of the separatist illusion by pushing for the Sahara’s removal from the list of non-self-governing territories.
Kenya recently joined countries describing Morocco’s autonomy initiative as “the only sustainable approach” to resolve the Sahara dispute, delivering a blistering blow that lays bare the hollowness of the Polisario separatist narrative.
The Algeria-backed militia continues to squander Algiers’ gas revenues on this hopeless cause while Rabat racks up one diplomatic victory after another.
Both Ivorian and Senegalese representatives demanded continued engagement in the UN-led political process. In particular, the two West African diplomats stressed Morocco’s exemplary compliance with military agreements while urging other parties to respect the ceasefire and cooperate with MINURSO.
The tone, timing, and spirit of such appeals constitute a soberly resounding rebuke to Polisario’s statehood dreams and Algeria’s hegemonic aspirations.
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