IRES Publishes New Book Entitled ‘The Moroccan Sahara: From National Claim to International Recognition of Autonomy under Morocco’s Sovereignty’

Rabat – A new book by the Royal Institute for Strategic Studies (IRES), entitled “The Moroccan Sahara: From National Claim to International Recognition of Autonomy under Morocco’s Sovereignty”, has been published to mark the 51st anniversary of the Glorious Green March.

The book, prepared under the direction of the Institute’s Director General, Mohammed Tawfik Mouline, offers a retrospective account of half a century of national history, marked by the consolidation of Morocco’s sovereignty, the strengthening of its territorial integrity and the emergence of a distinctive development dynamic in the Southern Provinces recovered by the Kingdom in 1975.

The publication seeks to highlight the continuity of a national choice: that of an asserted sovereignty, shared development and openness to the world, within a united and resilient Morocco firmly rooted in its African and Atlantic space, IRES notes, adding that this framework draws on the Royal Vision, which consistently reflects the commitment of the Glorious Alaouite Throne to defending the Kingdom’s unity and irreversibly affirming the Moroccan identity of the Sahara as an inalienable foundation of national unity and a strategic lever for Morocco’s continental outreach.

The book, which is intended to serve as a reference framework, also highlights the central role of people in the development process, notably through the unwavering attachment of the populations of the Southern Provinces to Morocco, their full political and administrative integration into national life, and the promotion of their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The State has made the sustainable and inclusive development of the Moroccan Sahara a priority, mobilizing massive public investment that has led to major achievements recognized by the international community, set the Southern Provinces on the path towards a competitive economy and turned these territories into a catalyst for the green and blue economies.

Recalling that, from the moment the Kingdom gained independence, the question of the Moroccan Sahara was placed within the framework of international law and consistently brought before the relevant United Nations bodies, IRES stresses that this long and complex process, conducted in accordance with international law and UN mechanisms and taking into account political, institutional and socio-economic developments on the ground, ultimately achieved the desired results.

Indeed, United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797, adopted on October 31, 2025, reaffirmed that the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative is the only serious and credible way to achieve a definitive settlement of this artificial conflict, the Institute recalls, adding that His Majesty King Mohammed VI proclaimed October 31 as Unity Day.

Structured into seven chapters, the book takes stock of the political, institutional, security, socio-economic and diplomatic achievements that have made the Moroccan Sahara a space of stability, growth and development across the African continent. It opens with the Royal Vision, successively upheld by the late Sovereigns, His Majesty King Mohammed V and His Majesty King Hassan II, and subsequently enriched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, May God Glorify Him.

The second chapter revisits the origins of the Glorious Green March and the process of restoring territorial integrity, while the third highlights the decisive role played by the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) in defending the Kingdom’s territorial integrity.

The fourth chapter sheds light on the administrative and political integration of the Southern Provinces, underpinned by democratization and the consolidation of human rights, while the fifth traces the inclusive and sustainable development strategy pursued in the Moroccan Sahara over the past half-century.

The sixth chapter focuses on the efforts made by Moroccan diplomacy, for which the question of the Sahara has been a central cause since independence. The seventh chapter examines how the question of the Moroccan Sahara has evolved from a regional dispute into an area of African integration and shared prosperity. It also highlights the deep-rooted African ties of Morocco’s Southern Provinces, which have historically served as a crossroads for human mobility, trade and cultural exchanges, as well as the longstanding and profound links connecting them to the continent. This chapter also outlines the ambition to turn these provinces into a platform for international cooperation and a springboard for more effective African integration.

In this regard, the Atlantic opening of the Moroccan Sahara is part of a coherent geopolitical vision based on continental anchoring and openness to the world, and underpinned by a doctrine of solidarity, responsibility and balanced partnership.