"The Moroccanness of the Sahara is irrefutable"

In the first part entitled "Morocco’s sovereignty over the Saharan territories", the director of the Royal Archives explained that an examination of the historical documents relating to the creation of the Moroccan state makes it clear that the Sahara has always been Moroccan. The fact that most of the eight states that have succeeded each other at the head of Morocco come from the south of Morocco, in the Sahara, confirms that this part of the kingdom has played a fundamental and decisive role in the construction of the Moroccan state, she develops.

Addressing the second part on "The Moroccan Sahara under the Alaouite dynasty", Simou affirmed that, according to the available documents, the Sahara has occupied an important place in the governance system of the Moroccan state since the 17th century, highlighting the permanent presence of the Moroccan power on the Saharan territories. The expert said that Sultan Moulay Ismail exercised his sovereignty over the Sahara through his sons, Prince Moulay Abd al-Malik and Al Mamoun, whom he had appointed as his representatives in these Saharan territories.

Many documents (agreements, treaties and dahirs) available at the Directorate of the Royal Archives prove that Morocco has constantly exercised its sovereignty over the Saharan territories. The intervention of the sultans and kings in the resolution of conflicts between the tribes also confirms the submission of the Sahara to Morocco, she details.

In the third part of her intervention on the "Moroccan Sahara in the colonial system", Simou stressed that the Moroccan Sahara aroused the covetousness of the colonizers, "but the Moroccan Makhzen and the Saharan tribes resisted these attempts with determination". The director of the Royal Archives affirms that, based on the historical royal documents, the Sahara "is part of the Moroccan territory and has its cultural, political and economic specificity". And she concludes: "King Mohammed VI places these territories at the heart of the advanced regionalization project. The kingdom, under his leadership, has succeeded in mobilizing growing international support for the Moroccanness of the Sahara".