In October 2023, Jean-Luc Mélenchon urged President Emmanuel Macron to follow the lead of the United States and Israel on the Western Sahara issue. Today, he's taking a different stance, seeking to distance himself from Macron. The leader of La France Insoumise, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has reiterated his stance on the Western Sahara issue. «The position of the Insoumise movement, and mine, has always been this: that of the United Nations, no more, no less. No French interference! End of story», he wrote on X on Friday, July 4. This statement marks a step back from a more nuanced position Mélenchon had adopted during a visit to areas affected by the Al Haouz earthquake on October 4, 2023. At the time, he acknowledged the existence of «new parameters [regarding the Sahara issue] that the French should perhaps consider more carefully. The positions of the United States, Israel, and Spain have shifted global perceptions of this issue. I hope my country understands this and avoids turning it into a point of tension with Morocco». His comments came nine months before French President Emmanuel Macron officially recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in a message sent to King Mohammed VI on July 30, 2024. Amid backlash over Delogu's visit to Algeria Mélenchon's renewed position comes amid controversy surrounding remarks made by his party colleague Sébastien Delogu during a recent trip to Algeria. In an interview with an official French-language outlet, Delogu expressed being «extremely disappointed» by Senate President Gérard Larcher's visit to Laayoune on February 26. «On the highly sensitive issue of Western Sahara, I stand behind the United Nations, which is already leading a process to call for a referendum so the people on the ground can express their right to self-determination. I support these institutions», he said. Delogu also argued that France's recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara contradicts «international legality», while omitting the fact that recent UN resolutions no longer refer to a referendum. On Friday, Delogu responded on X to «the controversies launched by the right and far right» over his trip to Algeria. On Western Sahara, he clarified: «I have always stood by international law and its competent bodies to resolve border disputes peacefully», this time without mentioning a referendum or self-determination. Even before Delogu's trip, another LFI lawmaker accused the French government last January of «multiplying provocations and threats against Algeria, particularly concerning Western Sahara, in contradiction with international law», a statement that was met with applause from members of Mélenchon's parliamentary group. It was a rare public stance from La France Insoumise, which had remained largely silent for months following President Macron's recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, a decision swiftly condemned by the Socialist Party, the Communist Party, and the Greens on July 30, 2024.
