Morocco's Sahara: France Reaffirms Support for Rabat
France reaffirmed its support for Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara after talks in Essaouira between Bourita and his French counterpart Barrot, in the wake of MINURSO's mission ending.
France reaffirmed, on Friday, its steadfast position in support of Morocco's full sovereignty over its Sahara, following talks held in Essaouira between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, and his French counterpart, the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, according to Al3omk.
A statement from the spokesperson of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said that "the present and future of Western Sahara fall within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty," affirming that the autonomy plan Morocco proposed in 2007 constitutes "the sole basis for reaching a just, lasting and negotiated political solution." Barrot expressed hope to continue the dialogue, renewing Paris's support for UN efforts based on resolution 2797, according to what Le360 also reported.
Why does this reaffirmation matter now?
This French renewal comes less than two weeks after the vacuum left by Russia's veto on 30 October 2026, when Moscow blocked, with its veto power, a US draft resolution backed by eleven Security Council members that aimed to extend MINURSO's mandate and commend the autonomy initiative, before Russia's own counter-draft failed in turn, winning only three votes — ending the mission's mandate and opening the way to its liquidation, according to a report by Al3omk. Amid this UN vacuum, direct bilateral support from a country the size of France becomes an important political backing for Rabat, which, per the same report, is holding on to UN resolution 2797 favouring autonomy, and moved quickly to deploy on the ground after the mission's final departure.
An exceptional partnership and a bilateral treaty on the horizon
Bourita and Barrot reviewed, according to Al3omk, "the reinforced exceptional partnership" linking Morocco and France, nearly two years after the state visit French President Emmanuel Macron made to Morocco at the invitation of King Mohammed VI — a partnership signed on 28 October 2024, according to Le360. The two ministers welcomed the prospects of concluding a bilateral France-Morocco treaty, and exchanged views on shared regional and international issues, notably the situation in the Middle East and the Sahel region, with Barrot reaffirming his wish to put France-Morocco cooperation at the service of resolving crises. Le360 notes that Barrot repeated the same position during a UN Security Council session held on 30 October 2026.
France joins a rising wave of international support
The French position comes amid continued international backing for Morocco's autonomy initiative in recent weeks: Ecuador signed agreements with Morocco and voiced support for this option, while Morocco's permanent representative to the United Nations, Omar Hilale, called in earlier statements for holding Algeria responsible for the continued deadlock in the file. This renewed French support strengthens Rabat's negotiating position at a sensitive regional moment, the day after the end of MINURSO's field mission in the Sahara.