El Salvador and Kenya backs Morocco’s autonomy plan to resolve Sahara issue

The Republic of El Salvador reiterated its support for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco. Kenya also spoke out in support of the issue.

El Salvador about Western Sahara

This position was reaffirmed by the Vice-President of the Republic of El Salvador, Félix Ulloa during his meeting in Quito, Ecuador, with Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, who represented His Majesty King Mohammed VI at the inauguration ceremony of President of the Republic of Ecuador Daniel Noboa.
The meeting between Ulloa and Bourita was an occasion to discuss the possibility of opening a consulate of the Republic of El Salvador in the city of Laayoune, seen as a “key step” in recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over the region.

Both parties also highlighted the strong friendship between El Salvador and Morocco, reiterating their commitment to strengthening diplomatic ties and bilateral cooperation.

In this regard, the Salvadoran Vice President expressed his country’s willingness to deepen collaboration with the Kingdom on issues of common interest and to work together to create the conditions for the well-being of both peoples.

Kenya

In the same wake, Kenya said on Monday it supports Morocco’s plan to give the disputed region of Western Sahara autonomy under the North African kingdom’s sovereignty, joining a growing number of African, Arab and Western countries that have tilted towards backing Rabat in the five-decade conflict.

The long-frozen conflict, dating back to 1975, pits Morocco, which considers the territory as its own, against the Polisario Front, which seeks an independent state in the desert territory.

In a joint statement issued after talks between the two countries’ foreign ministers in Rabat, Kenya said it views “the Moroccan plan as the only credible and realistic solution and the sole sustainable approach”, Reuters said.

In this context, “the Republic of Kenya welcomes the growing international consensus and the momentum led by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in favor of the autonomy plan presented by Kingdom of Morocco as the only credible and realistic solution to Sahara dispute”, the statement adds.

The two senior officials emphasized the “exclusivity of the United Nations in the political process” and reaffirmed “their support for UN Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2756 (2024)”.

Kenya, after 60 years of bilateral diplomatic ties with Morocco, also opened an embassy in Rabat on Monday.

Morocco’s foreign minister Nasser Bourita told reporters that Kenya’s position on Western Sahara, which he called “the national cause”, helped add a new impetus to bilateral relations.

Kenya also backed a Moroccan initiative offering landlocked Sahel states access to global trade through Morocco’s Atlantic ports, the joint statement said.