United Kingdom backs Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara

The United Kingdom on Sunday became the latest country to back Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara.

During a visit to Rabat, Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the plan was “the most credible, viable and pragmatic” way to resolve the dispute over the territory’s sovereignty.

"The time for a resolution and to move this issue forward is long-overdue, and would strengthen the stability of North Africa", Lammy said in a joint press conference.

He also reiterated support for the United Nations-led resolution process and called on Morocco to “expand on details of what autonomy within the Moroccan State could entail for the region.”

Britain had previously said the region’s status was undetermined, and that it supported "the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara."

Western Sahara has been disputed since Spain left its former colony in 1975. Morocco and the Polisario front, a pro-independence group backed by Algeria, both claim sovereignty over the area.

The region is home to 600,000 people and is considered a non-self-governing territory by the United Nations.

Since 1991, the United Nations has administered a peacekeeping mission designed to hold a referendum to determine the status of the disputed territory, all of which is under Morocco's control except for a small sliver near the Algerian border.

Morocco’s 2007 proposal would offer the area limited autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty.

Morocco's foreign minister, Nasser Bourita, said the UK's shift was part of "a momentum to speed up the solution of the conflict."

Both the UK and Morocco lauded the two countries’ ties on security and trade. They signed cooperation deals in healthcare, innovation, port and water infrastructure and procurement.

The UK is the third permanent member of the UN Security Council to back Morocco’s position, after the United States in 2020, and France last year.

Other European countries, including Spain and Germany, also support Morocco’s claim over the region.

Algeria has long criticised Western support for Morocco and said it regretted Britain’s decision.

Algeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the autonomy plan “empty of content and incapable of contributing to a serious and credible settlement of the conflict", in a statement released on Sunday.

"Algeria hopes that, as a permanent member of the Security Council, the United Kingdom will continue to hold Morocco accountable for its international responsibilities", the statement read.