El partido de Macron abrirá sede en la ciudad de Dajla, en el Sáhara marroquí
The French party La Republique en Marche has announced that it will open two new offices in Morocco, one in Agadir, in the southeast of the country, and the other in Dakhla, in the Moroccan Sahara. The aim of these openings is to "strengthen the network with the Maghreb and West Africa", they said. "We are particularly pleased with the creation of the committee in Dakhla, located in southern Morocco, which reinforces our presence in this area," said the party of President Emmanuel Macron in a press release. Some experts believe that this could be the first step towards official French recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara.
Marie-Christine Verder-Joclas, MP for the La Republique en Marche party and vice-president of the Franco-Moroccan Friendship Group, announced that Guy Picard will chair the Agadir office, while Claude Fraissent will chair the Dakhla office. She added that they would attend the opening of the two new offices "as soon as health conditions permit".
Macron's decision coincides with the postponement of a planned visit by French Prime Minister Jean Castex to Algeria. Several sources point out that the reason for the postponement is not due to the increase in cases of COVID-19 in the African country, as the authorities had announced, but is due to new tensions between Paris and Algiers. This meeting was postponed after a tense military meeting between the Algerian army chief, Saïd Chengriha, and the French chief of staff, General François Lecointre. According to the EFE news agency, the two military authorities discussed the nuclear tests in the Sahara desert, the latest developments in the Sahel and the Western Sahara conflict. Algeria is a key supporter of the Polisario Front's cause. Last February Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Polisario leader Brahim Ghali met in Algiers. Saharawi sources pointed out the "high symbolic value" of the meeting and the "clear support of Algeria for the Polisario Front in the war in Western Sahara against Morocco". Tebboune has also supported the UN-proposed referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara.
Last December, former President Donald Trump officially recognised Moroccan sovereignty in Western Sahara in the midst of escalating tensions. In January, with Joe Biden as president, a US delegation visited Dakhla. This visit served to reiterate US support for the Kingdom of Morocco. Washington also announced the opening of a consulate in the Moroccan city. The president of the Dakhla Regional Council, Yanja El Kahattat, said that the opening of the US consulate "will greatly help development and investment, and will make the area more secure". The city has the most important fishing industry in Morocco, as well as natural resources. It is also a major tourist destination in the Kingdom. Other countries such as Gambia, Guinea, Djibouti, Liberia, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo and Haiti had already established a consulate in Dakhla before the United States. The latest country to open a consulate is Senegal, the tenth diplomatic representation in the city. El Aaiún in the Sahara has also experienced a strong diplomatic presence, reinforcing Morocco's presence in the area. This, coupled with the announcement of Macron's party, reflects Morocco's successful diplomatic moves to extend international recognition of its sovereignty over the Sahara.
