The African Center for Strategic Studies and Digitalization considered UN Resolution No. 2797, issued on October 31, 2025, to be a “new starting point” in the course of the Moroccan Sahara issue, as it enshrined the autonomy proposal as the only realistic basis for negotiation.
An analytical paper issued by the center, entitled: “Autonomy under Moroccan Sovereignty: The Beginning of a Green March Towards Development Innovation and African Integration”, confirmed that this international recognition is not a coincidence, but rather the culmination of a long process of diplomatic accumulations and internal reforms that have made this option an integrated societal project.
The report noted the profound strategic shift in the Security Council’s handling of the issue, as it moved from adhering to the “referendum” plan at the beginning of the millennium to describing the Moroccan proposal as “serious and credible” since 2007, culminating in the “fundamental shift” in 2025 through Resolution 2797, which explicitly stipulated that autonomy should be considered the “basis” for negotiations and the most viable outcome for a solution.
The paper explained that this proposal is based on a solid historical foundation represented by the continuous legitimate allegiance ties that have linked the desert tribes to the Alawite throne over the centuries; ties that embody a political and spiritual loyalty that goes beyond symbolism to actual participation in the structure of the state.
Morocco reinforced this historical legitimacy with constitutional and legal grounding through the 2011 Constitution, which enshrined “advanced regionalization” as a fundamental pillar in the organization of the state, paving the way for the practical implementation of autonomy through the 2015 regulatory laws that granted the southern regions financial and administrative independence and legal personality.
On the ground, the center highlighted the unprecedented development boom witnessed in the southern regions, as the budget allocated to the new development model reached 77 billion dirhams, distributed among the regions of Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra (44 billion), Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab (26 billion), and Guelmim-Oued Noun (7 billion), with expectations that the total achievements will exceed 100 billion dirhams.
These structured projects included modern infrastructure, most notably the Tiznit-Dakhla highway, and the Dakhla Atlantic port, which is expected to transform the region into a global logistics platform linking Morocco to its African depth, as well as pioneering renewable energy projects that contribute to the Kingdom’s energy sovereignty.
To ensure the sustainability of this ambitious project, the center presented a set of practical strategic recommendations, calling for moving beyond a rentier economy based on raw materials towards a “productive economy” that values local advantages in marine fishing and renewable energies.
The paper stressed the need to “fortify economic sovereignty” by establishing a strict legal framework that prevents the privatization of strategic assets, such as ports and natural resources, and proposed the creation of a supreme committee to examine major investments and ensure that they respect sovereignty standards and technology transfer.
The center also called for accelerating “digitalization” workshops to enhance transparency and bring the administration closer to the citizen, by publishing budgets and performance plans for the public on digital platforms, and creating digital innovation zones and incubators for startups.
The paper concluded that, in light of these facts, autonomy goes beyond ending the conflict to become a societal project aimed at making the southern regions an engine of development and a strategic bridge for continental integration.
