Morocco’s UN Envoy Rebuts Algeria, Highlights Sahara Development

Omar Hilale dismantles the Algerian allegations about economic development in the Sahara. "Algeria is unaware of what the Moroccan Sahara really represents. This territory is home to major infrastructure projects, including the longest road bridge in Africa (the Oued Sakia El Hamra road viaduct, ed.) and the largest port on the continent (Dakhla Atlantique, ed.). Every day, more than 4,000 trucks cross the Moroccan Sahara. Not to mention the opening of universities, schools and foreign investments in renewable energies. The truth is that you can’t hide the sun," he specified in a letter addressed to the President and members of the Security Council.

The Moroccan diplomat took care to recall that the Moroccan Sahara now hosts 29 foreign consulates, with a 30th in preparation, which testifies to the growing international support for Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces. Exercising his right of reply, Hilale responded to the "provocative, misleading and erroneous" statements of the Algerian Foreign Minister regarding the Moroccan Sahara issue. Algeria is "stuck in the Cold War era" while the Moroccan Sahara has been fully integrated into the Kingdom of Morocco for more than 50 years," he pointed out, reminding Algeria of the United Nations resolution putting an end to the Spanish colonization, several decades ago, and leading to the return of the Sahara to its motherland.

The Moroccan diplomat did not fail to recall that the Madrid Agreement, which followed, was in perfect harmony with the speech delivered by the late Algerian President Houari Boumediene at an Arab summit in Rabat. "On that occasion, Boumediene had declared that he would support any solution to end the colonization of the Moroccan Sahara, and a year later, this territory was effectively liberated from Spanish occupation," he recalled.