Morocco's strategy for the economic development of the Sahara is drawing the attention of global powers, according to an American media outlet that has examined this political approach in detail. The economy has become Morocco's new lever to assert its sovereignty over the Sahara, according to the World Press Review (WPR). «Rabat made the most of Trump's 2020 declaration by intensifying its diplomatic offensive for support, while shifting the narrative from the security angle that had long dominated debates over on Western Sahara to a focus on economic development», the American magazine notes. Donald Trump's recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara on December 10, 2020, prompted the kingdom to refraim «its case for sovereignty over Western Sahara as one based on economic development, emphasizing its commitment to building major infrastructure that is attracting further foreign investment and global trade to the region», the same source adds. It is worth recalling that King Mohammed VI presided over the launch of the New Development Model for the province, with a budget of 77 billion dirhams, on November 7, 2015, in Laayoune, marking the 40th anniversary of the Green March. France, the United States, and the United Kingdom embrace this strategy This strategic shift has «played a pivotal role in Morocco's autonomy campaign», said Mohammed Loulichki, former Moroccan representative to the United Nations and now a senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, in statements to WPR. He cited the Atlantic port of Dakhla as a flagship project that is «materially reinforcing [Morocco's] sovereignty and projecting a vision of stability, connectivity, and economic integration». The approach has won over global powers. «The U.K.'s endorsement of Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara in June wasn't just a diplomatic shift but part of an economic strategy to deepen trade ties with Morocco and expand markets for British companies», WPR observes. France is also aligned with this vision. In a letter to King Mohammed VI on January 30, 2024, President Emmanuel Macron described the economic and social development of Western Sahara as an «imperative», pledging that «France will accompany it in this approach for the benefit of the local populations», the magazine recalls. This momentum is expected to accelerate in the coming months, particularly following the Trump administration's decision to finance projects by American companies in the region. However, this willingness to «support» the kingdom's development plans faces opposition from the Polisario and its network of associations in Belgium, France, and the UK. NGOs have threatened legal action against European companies investing in the Sahara, while the Polisario has vowed to carry out terrorist attacks against foreign businesses establishing themselves in the province. So far, these threats have failed to produce the intended effect, as evidenced by the opening of offices by major international industrial groups in Laayoune and Dakhla.
