The Moroccan Sahara: A New Equation of Sovereignty and Development
The national symposium held under the theme “From the Legitimacy of History to the Stakes of the Future” marks a decisive shift in how Morocco approaches its southern provinces. No longer content with legalistic arguments or historical reminders—both of which remain unassailable—the Kingdom is rewriting the narrative around the Sahara, placing development, democracy, and civic engagement at its core.
Mohammed Ould Rachid, President of the House of Councillors, set the tone. His remarks were not those of a ceremonial figure but of a strategic thinker laying out a doctrine: the future of the Sahara is being built not in New York negotiating rooms, but on the ground, through infrastructure, education, and inclusion. This is the essence of Morocco’s advanced regionalization—a bold project that seeks to align sovereignty with opportunity and turn political legitimacy into tangible progress.
Under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, the Sahara has become a living laboratory for the fusion of national unity and regional empowerment. From Dakhla to Laayoune, what’s unfolding is not merely a response to a conflict—it is a proactive vision, with the autonomy initiative as its constitutional anchor and social cohesion as its engine. But sovereignty, as Ould Rachid reminded us, is not guaranteed by infrastructure alone. It requires people—elected officials who speak with legitimacy, tribal leaders who embody continuity, and civil society actors who anchor the transformation in daily reality. The reference to the 46th anniversary royal speech was no coincidence: the Sahara’s tribes are not external supporters of Morocco’s claim—they are its historical and moral foundation.
Yet, perhaps the most striking intervention came from Lahcen Haddad, head of the Parliament’s thematic working group on the national cause. For him, defending the Sahara is not about rhetorical resistance; it is about strategic vision. Autonomy is not just a proposal—it is a project. And projects need planning, participation, and performance. The southern provinces, Haddad argued, must become engines of African integration, magnets for investment, and examples of spatial justice in action.
This means embedding the autonomy model into daily governance, into how young people access opportunity, how women shape policy, how institutions evolve. It means rethinking the Sahara not as a periphery but as a pivot—a gateway to Africa and a symbol of what post-colonial sovereignty can look like when it invests in people rather than slogans.
The symposium in Laayoune was not the conclusion of a process—it was a launchpad. It signaled that Morocco’s Sahara policy is entering a new phase: one where legitimacy is measured not only by international recognition, but by schools built, roads paved, businesses created, and voices heard.
It is now time to turn consensus into action, and action into transformation.
Said Temsamani
Political Analyst