Sweden has officially announced its support for Morocco's 2007 autonomy plan to resolve the Sahara conflict, bringing to an end years of hesitation and political maneuvering. The shift deals a significant setback to the Polisario Front, which had long regarded the Scandinavian countries as among its strongest supporters in Europe. DR ‹ › Sweden has officially announced its support for Morocco's 2007 autonomy plan to resolve the Sahara dispute, marking the end of years of hesitation and diplomatic tension. The shift represents a significant setback for the Polisario Front, which had long viewed Scandinavian countries as some of its strongest supporters in Europe. In an official statement released yesterday, Sweden confirmed its backing of the Moroccan autonomy proposal following a phone call between Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenengard and her Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita. This announcement brings to a close a prolonged period of ambiguity surrounding Stockholm's position on the Sahara issue, which had previously triggered one of the most serious diplomatic crises in Moroccan-Swedish relations, after Sweden openly challenged Morocco's territorial integrity. A long diplomatic rift After a coalition of left-wing parties came to power in 2014, Sweden adopted a stance openly critical of Morocco's position on the Sahara. Even earlier, in December 2012, the Swedish left, then in opposition, had succeeded in pushing through a parliamentary vote calling for recognition of «Western Sahara» as a state, with support from far-right lawmakers. Sweden subsequently explored the possibility of recognizing the self-proclaimed «Sahrawi Republic» and introduced a boycott of products originating from the Saharan provinces, as well as companies operating there. Morocco viewed these moves as hostile. In 2015, the opening of the first IKEA store in Casablanca was postponed, and Rabat launched an unofficial boycott of Swedish products and firms. Tensions peaked in October 2015, when thousands of Moroccans demonstrated near the Swedish embassy in Rabat to protest Stockholm's consideration of recognizing the Polisario-declared entity. At the same time, Moroccan political figures, including representatives of left-wing parties led by Nabila Mounib, traveled to Stockholm to engage Swedish officials and lawmakers in an effort to defuse the crisis. Sweden reverses course These diplomatic efforts proved decisive. In January 2016, Sweden abandoned plans to recognize the «Sahrawi Republic». Then-Foreign Minister Margot Wallström announced that Sweden would not recognize Western Sahara as a state, reaffirming support for a UN-led political process. She explained that the decision followed an internal review concluding that «the criteria set by international law for recognizing the State of Western Sahara are not met». This move effectively ended a crisis that had begun in September 2015. In September 2016, Wallström visited Rabat and met her Moroccan counterpart Salaheddine Mezouar, formally closing the chapter of bilateral tensions. Polisario lobbying efforts fall short The Polisario Front had hoped that left-leaning governments in Europe would deliver a diplomatic breakthrough, particularly as no European country has ever recognized its self-declared «Republic». After Sweden reversed course, the movement intensified its lobbying in Stockholm, especially after Sweden joined the United Nations Security Council in January 2017. The strategy, pressuring governments through parliamentary initiatives in Security Council member states, failed to yield results. Following Sweden's September 2022 elections, the left lost its parliamentary majority. In October 2022, Ulf Kristersson, leader of the Moderate Party, formed a government with right-wing and liberal allies, ending eight years of left-wing rule. Despite renewed lobbying efforts in 2024, including participation in «Solidarity Day» events in Stockholm, attendance at the Social Democratic Party congress, invitations to Swedish lawmakers to visit the Tindouf camps, and a parliamentary seminar on the Sahara issue, these moves failed to prevent Sweden's shift. Stockholm has now endorsed Morocco's autonomy plan as a «credible basis» for negotiations toward a final settlement of the conflict. The Polisario Front has yet to issue an official response to the decision, which marks a major loss in one of Northern Europe's countries it once considered a key stronghold.
