Dominica has reasserted that it fully supports the Morocco Autonomy Plan saying it is “the solution of compromise” for the long-running regional dispute in the Western Sahara region.
Speaking at the UN Committee of 24 (C24) regional seminar held in Dili, Timor-Leste last week, Permanent Representative of the Commonwealth of Dominica to the UN, Philbert Aaron, said the plan fits with international law, the UN Charter, and the resolutions of both the Security Council and General Assembly.
He praised Morocco’s development efforts which he said have transformed living conditions and created opportunities for local populations.
“The development of the Sahara has been manifested by the improvement of infrastructure and healthcare, education and housing,” Aaron stated.
Morocco regards the Western Sahara as its own and has been in control of the territory since the mid-1970s when colonial power Spain left that region. However, the Polisario Front, founded in 1973, and described by Britannica as a “politico-military organization in Western Sahara”, wants it to be a fully independent state called the Sahrawi Arab
Democratic Republic and has fought a bitter 15-year war with Morocco which ended in a 1991 ceasefire deal.
Morocco has offered limited self-government there — but insists it must keep sovereignty in the region which is rich in phosphates and which has a long Atlantic coast with rich fishing waters. It said the autonomy plan is not definitive but rather aimed at pushing negotiations forward to find “a mutually acceptable political solution.”
The Polisario front has rejected the plan for limited autonomy in the Western Sahara but it has been gaining international traction and support from around the globe.
Dominica has always supported the plan. Speaking in Tangiers in 2023, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit described it as a “major diplomatic triumph that Morocco has been achieving with regards to the Sahara issue.”
While expressing support for the plan, Aaron praised the efforts of Secretary-General António Guterres and his Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, to reinvigorate negotiations.
He called on all parties in the matter, including Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the Polisario Front, to continue in the round-table talks, in line with the provisions of Security Council Resolution 2703.
Aaron also commended Morocco’s commitment to respect the ceasefire and Military Agreements which he said will further contribute to peace in the region.
This is a historical geopolitical mistake. The Sahara belongs to the Sahrawis. Morocco, a strategic ally of American Imperialism in the region, has always been an invading force in Western Sahara, where the Polisario Front has heroically fought for its land. It’s not just the money, we must stand firm for just causes and high values at home and abroad.
No dude/African, it’s like you giving up more African soil, ? even mega tons of potash when world supply almost depleted, and more. what for, a bit of aid when we already have a few billion$? That’s not necessary Bro, looks bad.👎
I know, it is said Africans sold their own country, here comes another. We lost Egypt and all North Africa to Arabs, this weakling is playing like he has not heard of Traore and taking back.