Moroccan government links Unity Day to momentum around the Sahara
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on MAP
Moroccan government spokesman Samir Belfkih says the Royal Cabinet statement reflects international momentum around Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara and its autonomy plan. He links its publication to the first celebration of Unity Day, according to his statement reported by MAP.
The Moroccan government has linked the celebration of Unity Day to the continuation of international momentum in favour of Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces and its autonomy plan for the Sahara, government spokesman Samir Belfkih, Minister of National Territorial Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and City Policy, said on Friday, according to the MAP news agency. The statement came on the eve of the first anniversary of the holiday, established after the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2797 on 31 October 2025.
Samir Belfkih described the non-renewal of MINURSO’s mandate, the UN mission in the Sahara, as a step towards closing the issue at the United Nations. The mission’s mandate in the southern provinces is due to end in the coming days, according to the spokesman.
The minister recalled that MINURSO was established in 1991 in the context of the ceasefire, before Rabat presented its autonomy initiative in 2007. He also cited the United States’ recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara in 2020 and the adoption, on 31 October 2025, of Resolution 2797, making autonomy the sole basis for negotiations, according to MAP.
The statement came after the forthcoming withdrawal of MINURSO from the Sahara, announced by Rabat on 31 October, and the USFP’s support for Moroccan autonomy, reaffirmed on the same day.
Update of 31 October 2026: Moroccan government spokesman Samir Belkhir reaffirmed on 31 October the executive’s determination to defend Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara and accelerate the development of the southern provinces. Read: Moroccan government reaffirms its sovereignty over the Sahara.
