Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli foreign ministry: The vessels and the passengers are transferred to an Israeli port, and the passengers are expected to be deported promptly.
Sumud Flotilla: Addameer vessel attacked by an Israeli military helicopter with 93 journalists, doctors and activists on board
Freedom Flotilla Coalition: The Addameer Vessel was seized by the Israeli Navy
Israeli ministry of foreign affairs says ships and passengers of the Freedom Flotilla will be transferred to an Israeli port and deported immediately
Freedom Flotilla Coalition: 3 ships attacked and illegally intercepted by Israeli occupation.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa's motorcade comes under fire in Ecuador
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Lebanon: Israeli quadcopter drops two shells on cafe in Houla town in South Lebanon
Informed source to Al Mayadeen: SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazloum Abdi demands that al-Sharaa approve the establishment of an autonomous region similar to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Israeli media: Three drones launched from Yemen toward Eilat in span of 20 minutes.
Qatari Foreign Ministry: "Israel" should have already ceased fire under Trump plan for Gaza

Algeria to withdraw France envoy over Paris W. Sahara autonomy remarks

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 30 Jul 2024 18:31
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

The move is in response to Macron's claim that Rabat's proposal for Western Saharan autonomy within Morocco was the "only" way to resolve the conflict.

Listen
  • x
  • A Polisario Front soldier salutes during a military parade to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Polisario Front in the Aoussered camp, Algeria, Saturday, May 20, 2023. (AP)
    A Polisario Front soldier salutes during a military parade to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Polisario Front in the Aoussered camp, Algeria, Saturday, May 20, 2023. (AP)

France sparked a furious response from the pro-independence Polisario Front on Tuesday when it declared that autonomy within Morocco was the "only" foundation for resolving the long-standing Western Sahara conflict.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that the Moroccan offer was "now the only basis that will lead to a just, lasting and negotiated political solution in line with UN Security Council resolutions" in a letter congratulating King Mohammed VI on the 25th anniversary of his coronation.

In response to Macron's claim that Rabat's proposal for Western Saharan autonomy within Morocco was the "only" way to resolve the conflict, Algeria announced on Tuesday that it was removing its ambassador to France.

The official news agency APS cited the Algerian Foreign Ministry as saying, "The Algerian diplomatic representation in France is now the responsibility of a charge d'affaires," as it slammed Macron's statement as a "step that no other French government had taken before."

Any attempt to include independence in a vote has been consistently rejected by Rabat.

The Moroccan royal court applauded Macron's remarks in his letter, calling it "a significant step in support of Moroccan sovereignty" over the Western Sahara. 

Meanwhile, the Polisario stated that the French President was endorsing Morocco's "violent and illegal occupation" of the peninsula.

Related News

EU trade deal shows submission to US pressure: Borrell

AI use could give employees 4-day work weeks by 2033 in US, UK

Algeria, Morocco's fiercest adversary and the movement's principal supporter, had previously anticipated Macron's remarks last week denouncing the hardening of France's stance.

Some background 

It is worth noting that the Trump administration, in late 2020, in exchange for normalization with "Israel", recognized Morocco's "sovereignty" over Western Sahara.

Spain declared its support for the Moroccan autonomy plan in 2022, after decades of trying to maintain a neutral stance between Morocco and the Polisario.

The Western Sahara conflict began in 1975, when Spain withdrew from the territory, leaving it disputed between Morocco and the Polisario Front, a Sahrawi nationalist movement that seeks independence for the region.

Morocco controls about 80% of Western Sahara, which it considers its own "sovereign territory". The region is rich in phosphates and fisheries.

The Polisario Front continues to call for a UN-supervised referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara, as agreed in the 1991 ceasefire agreement, but this has not yet happened.

After nearly 30 years, the ceasefire in Western Sahara broke down in November 2020. Morocco sent troops to the far south of the territory to disperse Sahrawi protesters who were blocking the only road to Mauritania and the rest of Africa. The Polisario Front claims that the road was built after 1991, in violation of the ceasefire agreement.

In the last four years, the Sahrawi people have reported frequent clashes with Moroccan forces. They have often claimed to have inflicted casualties on the Moroccan side, but these claims have never been confirmed by Morocco.

  • Autonomy
  • Emmanuel Macron
  • Polisario Front
  • France
  • Algeria
  • Western Sahara

Most Read

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
ap

'Israel' pays influencers $7K per post to whitewash Gaza genocide

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
In this May 20, 20201, photo Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, arrives in Baghdad, Iraq (AP)
Politics

US spent $33 billion on post-Oct.7 genocide, wars, Brown Uni reports

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., holds a news conference to mark the seventh day of the government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (AP)
Politics

US troops face unpaid wages as government shutdown drags on

Mourners wave Hezbollah and a Palestinian flag during the funeral of Hezbollah former leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and his successor Sayyed Hashem Safieddine in the Sports City Stadium in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, February 23, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Hezbollah voices support for Gaza, Resistance on October 7 anniversary

Al-Aqsa Flood restored Palestinian cause on the global stage: Hamas
Politics

Al-Aqsa Flood restored Palestinian cause on the global stage: Hamas

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS