The Sahara enjoys stability, progress, and opportunities

The development model implemented by Morocco for its southern provinces is not a distant promise, but a lived reality. With a budget of $10 billion, projects that are already more than 90% complete have transformed daily life: modern infrastructure now connects people and shapes our lives, universities and cultural centers empower young people, and renewable energy facilities pave the way for sustainable growth.

Behind these figures are human stories: graduates finding their first jobs, families accessing healthcare, and communities living with dignity and pride.

This positive dynamic has been observed and recognized by the international community. More than 32 sovereign states, including 22 African states from all subregions of the continent, have established consular representations in Laayoune and Dakhla. The latest to do so are France and Hungary, which have decided to expand their consular services there to better serve their citizens. And many more are preparing to follow suit.

These are not gestures of courtesy. They are sovereign decisions, based on three real and solid reasons: first, because of Morocco's deep African roots, which cannot be severed; secondly, because of Morocco's vision of co-building and co-developing with the continent, not on the margins of it; and finally, because many young Africans today choose Morocco as a place to study, work, and build their future.

And let's be clear: these consulates are not just offices. They are a strong recognition of the Moroccan identity of the Sabara. They recognize Morocco for what it is: a nation with more than fourteen centuries of history, rich in culture and a land where different religions have coexisted in harmony.

It would be incomplete, even dishonest, to talk about progress without mentioning the suffering that persists elsewhere. In the Tindouf camps, women and children remain trapped in conditions unworthy of human dignity, deprived of freedom of movement, rights, and hope.

Women are among those who suffer the most. A terrifying number of testimonies have reported rape and assault at the hands of so-called “Polisario elements.” Even the man who claims to lead them, Brahim Ghali, has been the subject of legal complaints in Spain for sexual abuse and rape of women. How can we remain silent in the face of their suffering?

African women play a special role in African societies. They are the pillars of our families, the guardians of our traditions, and the builders of our communities.

When women are denied respect, it is not only they who suffer, but society as a whole that is undermined. I therefore call on the international community: it is time to put pressure on Algeria to dismantle these camps and put an end to these serious violations of human dignity.

Children are also robbed of their innocence. They are recruited as soldiers, in violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and international law. They are condemned to a future of violent extremism and radicalization, taught to carry weapons and to cultivate hatred toward Morocco. What kind of adults will they become? What kind of citizens will they be for the Africa of tomorrow? “What kind of society is being prepared in these camps?”

While schools and hospitals are being built on one side of the Sahara, on the other side there is an open-air prison where the future is being stolen. This painful contrast must weigh on our conscience and push us all to act.

As an African woman, I cannot separate this issue from the broader destiny of my own continent. Every day that this conflict continues, African unity and integration are delayed. Every step toward a political solution is a step toward strengthening our common future.

Grace Njapau. Chair of the Women's Investment Network in Zambia