British Foreign Minister David Lammy announced on Sunday a significant shift in the United Kingdom’s long-standing position on Western Sahara, declaring that Morocco’s autonomy plan for the disputed territory represents the “most credible” solution to the decades-long conflict.
Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony rich in minerals, is largely under Moroccan control, yet it has been fully claimed for decades by the pro-independence Polisario Front, which receives support from Algeria. Morocco has actively campaigned for international backing of its autonomy plan, gaining notable momentum after the US recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the territory in 2020 in exchange for the normalization of diplomatic relations with Israel.
“The United Kingdom considers Morocco’s autonomy proposal submitted in 2007 as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the dispute,” Lammy told reporters in Rabat. Previously, Britain had advocated for self-determination for the territory, which Morocco asserts is an integral part of its kingdom.
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita welcomed the UK’s policy change, stating that the new British position “greatly contributed to advancing this momentum and promoting the UN path towards a definitive and mutually acceptable solution based on the autonomy initiative.”
Rabat’s diplomatic efforts to garner support for its autonomy plan have seen increasing success, with Spain and Germany now officially endorsing it. France, last summer, recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the territory.
Lammy emphasized the urgency of resolving the dispute, stating, “This year is a vital window of opportunity to secure a resolution before we reach 50 years of the dispute in November.” He further encouraged “relevant parties to engage urgently and positively with the United Nations-led political process.”
The United Nations classifies Western Sahara as a “non-self-governing territory” and has maintained a peacekeeping mission there since 1991, with the stated objective of organizing a referendum on the territory’s future. However, Rabat has consistently rejected any vote that includes independence as an option, instead proposing its autonomy plan.
The ceasefire in the region collapsed in mid-November 2020 after Moroccan troops were deployed to the far south of the territory to remove separatists who were blocking the sole route to Mauritania – a route the separatists claimed was illegal as it did not exist in 1991. While the UN Security Council calls for negotiations without preconditions, Morocco insists that discussions should focus exclusively on its autonomy plan.
Lammy underscored that “The only viable and durable solution will be one that is mutually acceptable to the relevant parties and is arrived at through compromise.” In a joint statement, the United Kingdom also indicated that its export credit agency, UK Export Finance, would consider supporting projects in the Sahara as part of its commitment to mobilize £5 billion (approximately €5.9 billion) for new economic initiatives in Morocco.
