Shaheed El-Hafed, July 4, 2026 (SPS) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and African Affairs of the Government of the Sahrawi Republic expressed in a statement issued today its strongest condemnation of the recent visit by the French Ambassador to Morocco to the occupied city of El Aaiun.
The Ministry described the visit as a new provocation, reflecting a continued policy of hostility toward the Sahrawi people and their legitimate rights, as well as an attempt to consolidate the colonial fait accompli imposed by Morocco.
The full text of the statement follows:”
“Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and African Affairs
Statement
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and African Affairs of the Government of the Sahrawi Republic expresses its strongest condemnation and firm denunciation of the recent visit by the French Ambassador to Morocco to the occupied city of El Aaiun, in Western Sahara. The Ministry considers that this visit, like previous visits by French officials, constitutes a new provocation, forms part of a continuing policy of hostility toward the Sahrawi people and their legitimate rights, and seeks to reinforce the colonial fait accompli imposed by Morocco.
The visit also represents a further act of encouragement to the Moroccan occupying State in pursuing its expansionist policy and its claim to a "sovereignty" that neither France nor any other State can confer upon it. Furthermore, it undermines the ongoing efforts of the United Nations to advance the peace process toward a just and lasting solution to the question of Western Sahara, based on full respect for the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination and independence.
Since the outbreak of the conflict, France has consistently provided political, diplomatic, and military support to the Moroccan occupying State, in clear contradiction with the responsibilities incumbent upon it as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, as well as with the letter and spirit of the United Nations Charter, particularly Chapter XI, which frames the question of Western Sahara as a decolonization issue.
France itself publicly acknowledged, through its former Ambassador to Rabat in March 2024, that it used its aircraft to bomb Sahrawi fighters during the 1970s and, for several decades, provided the Moroccan regime with political and diplomatic backing that shielded it from international isolation.
France's unconditional support for the Moroccan occupying State makes it a direct partner in the crimes and violations committed against the Sahrawi people since 1975. As such, it bears significant responsibility for the prolongation of the conflict and for the threats it poses to regional peace and stability.
France must fully recognize that lasting peace and stability in North Africa cannot be achieved by rewarding the Moroccan occupying State for its expansionist ambitions, its attempts to alter borders by force, or its support for its colonial project. Such peace can only be attained by enabling the Sahrawi people to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence—the only path capable of ensuring a just and lasting peace in the region.
Bir Lahlou, July 3, 2026.
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