Fifty years after the Green March, officials and experts gathered at the MEDays Forum in Tangier highlighted what they described as a growing international momentum in favour of Morocco’s autonomy plan for the disputed Western Sahara.
The speakers took part in a roundtable titled “50 Years After the Green March: The Moroccan Sahara, From Sovereignty to Development and Growth,” held on the sidelines of the MEDays Forum. According to the organisers, the discourse brought together former UN officials and several former African foreign ministers. Participants noted that the anniversary comes in the wake of the recent adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2797, which renewed the political process led under UN auspices.
For Samir Bennis, former adviser at the United Nations and co-founder of Morocco World News, the 1975 Green March “marked a major strategic turning point,” enabling Morocco “to secure Spain’s peaceful withdrawal” through the Madrid Accords of 14 November 1975. He recalled that Cold War dynamics and anti-colonial rhetoric had heightened polarisation around the issue, arguing that “the autonomy plan presented by Rabat in 2007 has, over the years, become the most realistic basis” — a conclusion he links to Resolution 2440 in 2018 and the more recent Resolution 2797.
Several former African foreign ministers highlighted what they described as a shift in diplomatic perspectives across the continent. Fahmi Saïd Ibrahim El Maceli, former foreign minister of the Comoros, characterised Morocco’s approach as “a lesson in diplomatic consistency,” saying autonomy represents “a natural basis for resolving the dispute.” He recalled the “three constants” upheld by King Mohammed VI — sovereignty, institutions and monarchy, and Islam — which he said anchor the country’s historical continuity.
Former Liberian foreign minister Gbehzohngar Milton Findley emphasised the socio-economic development under way in the southern provinces, arguing that “the opening of African consulates in Dakhla and Laayoune reflects evolving positions across the continent.”
He said “no solution can be envisioned without acknowledging the progress made.”
In an interview on the sidelines of the panel, he described Resolution 2797 as “a positive signal for Africa,” citing Morocco’s role in Sahel security cooperation.
Francis Kasaila, former foreign minister of Malawi, recalled his country’s policy shift in 2016 with the establishment of diplomatic relations with Rabat. He said Moroccan diplomacy “has helped clarify the historical context in several southern African countries,” describing this as “a beneficial evolution for the continent’s understanding of sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
MK/ak/lb/as/APA