MD Sahara forum opens friday in Dakhla

Friday 14 November 2025 - 10:00

By: Sahili Aya

The 5th edition of the MD Sahara Forum opened on Friday, November 14, 2025, in the city of Dakhla, under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. This edition will focus on debates about the future of Morocco’s southern provinces, at a time when the Moroccan autonomy plan is recognized internationally as the exclusive framework for resolving the Sahara issue.

The event brings together personalities from various fields to discuss the development and future of the southern provinces, as the international community increasingly recognizes Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.

This year’s forum takes place in the context of growing international support for Morocco’s claim. On October 31, 2025, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2797, affirming the primacy of Morocco’s autonomy plan under its sovereignty in resolving the Sahara dispute.

Jean-Yves de Cara, Emeritus Professor and specialist in international law, expressed satisfaction with Resolution 2797, noting that it ends a long-standing international stalemate maintained amid intense lobbying by countries opposed to Morocco. He added that Morocco can now enable its southern provinces to benefit from comprehensive development, building on achievements accomplished over decades.

HM King Mohammed VI declared in a speech on the night of the UN resolution’s adoption that Morocco is opening a new victorious chapter in consolidating the sovereignty of the Sahara after fifty years of sacrifices. “It is a true source of pride that this historic change coincides with the fiftieth and seventieth anniversaries of the Green March and Morocco’s independence,” the King said, emphasizing that Morocco is now united from Tangier to Lagouira, with its historical rights fully respected.

The MD Sahara Forum is set to continue discussions on the development, governance, and strategic importance of Morocco’s southern provinces.