Polisario Condemns French Development Projects in Disputed Western Sahara

In the eyes of the Polisario, France’s intention to use the French Development Agency (AFD) to finance projects in the Sahara is a "provocative" measure. "This is a dangerous escalation of France’s hostile position towards the Sahrawi people," denounces the "Ministry of Information of Western Sahara" in a statement relayed by Algerian state media. For the separatist movement, France’s plan "represents explicit support for Morocco’s illegal occupation of parts of Western Sahara." Moreover, it "once again calls on all countries of the world and the public and private sectors to refrain from carrying out any activity of any kind whatsoever on the national territory of Western Sahara."

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Last week, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs authorized French development financial institutions such as "Proparco", a subsidiary of the French Development Agency, or the public investment bank "Bpifrance" to finance projects in the Moroccan Sahara. In this perspective, Franck Riester, French Minister of Foreign Trade, arrived in Morocco at the end of the week. "The renewal of Franco-Moroccan relations will involve new bridges between our private sectors," he said in a post on X during his visit. Riester indicated that the AFD, through its private sector financing subsidiary Proparco, could contribute to the financing of a high-voltage power line project between Dakhla and the Moroccan port city of Casablanca.