Think Forward.

A Last Chance: The King of Morocco’s Message to Algeria on the Sahara Issue... 7870

Aziz Daouda, 16 d.
His Majesty the King's speech, delivered on July 28, 2025, on the occasion of the Throne Day, carries particular significance in a diplomatic context that is admittedly new but has been developing for a long time. The recent circumstances are marked by the tour of Massad Boulos, father of one of Donald Trump’s sons-in-law and special envoy of the President to the region. These circumstances are further highlighted by the remarks before the U.S. Congress of the newly appointed ambassador to Rabat, who is very close to the President. Richard Duke Buchan III did not mince words: the Sahara is Moroccan. He knows the region well, having been ambassador to Spain. This situation says a lot about the current dynamics of the conflict over the Moroccan Sahara and about Algeria’s troubled stance on this issue. In his widely followed speech, eagerly awaited and well-reported by Moroccans due to the rarity of His Majesty's words, the King of Morocco emphasizes the repeated "outstretched hand" offered by Rabat. He stresses the brotherhood between the Moroccan and Algerian peoples while underlining the constancy of his position. The goal is to exert moral and diplomatic weight, presenting an image of responsibility and openness while implicitly denouncing Algerian obstruction. This rhetoric effectively offers a way out for Algeria, which is becoming isolated on the international stage. Addressing the Algerian people, His Majesty essentially calls them to witness. By explicitly highlighting growing support for his proposal, notably recent backing by the United Kingdom and Portugal, His Majesty sends a message with a dual meaning: *- Morocco enjoys increasing support for its autonomy proposal, which legitimizes its position broadly supported by the West, the Arab world, the majority of African countries, and others; - At the same time, Algeria is becoming increasingly diplomatically isolated, as confirmed by the awkward silence regarding the Sahara issue in official statements, especially after the American special envoy’s visit.* The speech disregards the new realities and moves directly to a constructive proposal for dialogue within a fraternal framework. On the other side, the absence of any mention of Western Sahara in Algerian official statements following Boulos’s meeting with President Tebboune is particularly telling. Added to this is the recent statement by the Lebanese president, made in the presence of Tebboune and his close entourage in the heart of Algerian power. He thanked the Kingdoms of Saudi Arabia and Morocco for their involvement in resolving the political crisis in his country, without a word about the Sahara. The tone of Joseph Aoun’s voice is grating to the aligned guards. Faces are tense. This reflects either a political unwillingness or inability of Algeria to publicly address this subject under international pressure, except in the presence of marginal countries. There is also an embarrassment or divergence between the regional political reality and Algerian diplomatic communication. The fact that the American special envoy continues his tour, with a clear mission, according to Trump, "to end this artificial conflict," demonstrates international determination to promote a resolution favoring Morocco’s proposal. At least, this can be inferred from Trump’s letter to His Majesty on the occasion of the Throne Day. Are we nearing a scenario similar to the resolution of the conflict between Rwanda and the DRC? His Majesty the King’s renewed call can be seen as a last resort, a final offer of appeasement: an opportunity for Algeria to step down from its stubborn stance without losing face, relying on a credible and internationally accepted proposal. Morocco has shown both patience and firmness. The next step now depends on Algeria’s choice. Unfortunately, instead of an official response, the Algerian authorities have communicated indirectly through media channels, some of whose outrageous remarks are perplexing. They even claim that the King of Morocco eventually threw in the towel in the face of Algeria’s intransigence. The lifeline extended by the King to a languishing regime is perceived as a mere sponge by the very one who needs it. A pity. Algeria now faces its contradictions, confronted with a complex constraint. Continuing to support the Polisario means further entrenchment and a risky isolation, both regionally and internationally, with an even greater threat of political weakening internally. The country suffers from an unprecedented economic crisis, limiting, due to a lack of foreign currency, imports that are vital to the economy and the people. Recurring electricity and especially water cuts in several regions add to the difficulties. The dilapidated state of cities is perplexing. Tebboune’s reassuring talks do not lessen the bitterness of the population. Heeding Morocco’s call would allow Algeria to reposition itself politically without losing face; explicitly refusing dialogue is increasingly costly and diplomatically unsustainable. Algeria risks sinking into a crisis that benefits neither its international credibility nor regional stability, and even less its domestic stability. The involvement of the American special envoy in the region, the discretion regarding the Sahara case in Algerian communiqués, and the King of Morocco’s speech all point to the same reality: the status quo can no longer continue. The generous and wise royal appeal is indeed a last chance offered to Algeria to escape the deadlock, avoid international political embarrassment, and preserve some dignity for its leaders. By opting for dialogue, Algiers would also save face internally, with a population that has been fed a hatred of the Kingdom for five decades and sacrificed for a cause that brought only misery and disappointment. What does the population feel when it sees mercenaries occupying part of its territory, parading at its expense, pretending to lead a bogus “republic”? The international context, with major actors clearly engaged for a pragmatic resolution, reduces Algeria’s room for maneuver. Will Algeria seize this opportunity to redirect its policy, or will it continue a costly and potentially harmful strategy? In that case, there will be only one loser: Algeria. The regional and international momentum is accelerating every day in favor of the Moroccan proposal. This is the meaning , and only the meaning, that should be given to the Throne Day speech of the King of Morocco.
Aziz Daouda

Aziz Daouda

Directeur Technique et du Développement de la Confédération Africaine d'Athlétisme. Passionné du Maroc, passionné d'Afrique. Concerné par ce qui se passe, formulant mon point de vue quand j'en ai un. Humaniste, j'essaye de l'être, humain je veux l'être. Mon histoire est intimement liée à l'athlétisme marocain et mondial. J'ai eu le privilège de participer à la gloire de mon pays .


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Ibtissam, please : Allah is Allah... 239

Aziz Daouda, 19 h.
- Politics - Society - Lifestyle -
3.3 min read.
Recently, Ibtissam Lachgar, who calls herself an activist, wore a T-shirt of no value, except that she deliberately intended to insult millions of Moroccans and undoubtedly many believers, Muslim or not. God is the omniscient Creator, regardless of religion or rituals. Madam found it clever to display a T-shirt with a strange inscription, not at all amusing: an offense to the divinity. No, madam, Allah is Eternal without beginning or end, beyond time. He is Almighty, and His power is infinite and absolute. He is Merciful, full of compassion and kindness towards human beings, including you. What did you have for breakfast that morning, madam? By this useless act, you seem to have forgotten that faith is also a fundamental right. Americans, whose modernity cannot be denied, claim it to the point of engraving it on their dollar bill. Belief in God, in Allah, is a fundamental, universal, immutable pillar. To say or imply mocking or even simply disrespectful words towards what is sacred in the collective consciousness is to hurt deep sensitivities. It is an affront to the spirituality of billions of people. Yes, it is important to remind that everyone is free to live their life and love whom they want. However, there is one condition: not to unnecessarily offend others. Inventing an impromptu epithet for Allah goes far beyond personal debates linked to sexual orientation: it harms the deep faith of billions of people, including the 36 million Moroccans. This provocation cannot be considered a mere wit or a brave claim: it is a misstep that threatens harmony and social cohesion. Indeed, God does not need anyone to defend Him, much less my humble self, but admit that God is everywhere, simply present in every believer outraged by your lowly stylized statement, which is not freedom of expression but a qualified insult. It is billions of believers you insult with your superfluous act. Moroccans who strive to make their country a state of law also want social peace and cohesion to be fully preserved, within necessary limits to freedom of expression. This freedom can be neither absolute nor without red lines, and this is a genuine protection. Elsewhere, where the state is less protective, a provocation like yours would have caused far worse consequences for you. My generation, and those that followed, have fought extensively for freedom, notably the freedom to express oneself, develop ideas, and help society evolve and emancipate within a civic framework. But madam, yes to freedom, but within respect for laws freely chosen by the majority. This is the foundation of democracy: adopting the will of the majority, even if very narrow. In 2011, it was broad enough to set supreme rules and strives to respect them at all costs. You must understand that freedom does not mean unlimited license. Democracy is based on a constitution and laws adopted by the people themselves. These laws define what is acceptable in public space. Your supporters, Mrs. Lachgar, often foreigners or fringe elements, must understand that it is Moroccans who decide on their laws, according to their history, culture, and values. It is not up to minorities, even vocal ones, or foreigners to this secular context, to redefine the rules of coexistence in a sovereign country. Yes, activism is vital and contributes to progress and the pushing of boundaries, but not sterile and counterproductive provocation such as you have just committed. It is also fair to acknowledge that Morocco has tolerated peaceful advances in favor of sexual minorities. Some of your acquaintances know this well. Debates, demands, and defense of individual rights are permitted, within legal and social frameworks. But when a public figure—as you are with your MALI—takes a "step too far" with a shocking gesture against the very essence of religion, this constitutes an unnecessary provocation, all the more serious when occurring in a sensitive period. You are a declared repeat offender who has so far gotten away with it. This shows a tolerance, albeit relative, but tolerance nonetheless, towards movements as marginal as yours. Minorities have always existed and always will, but you should understand that cohesion is a heavy responsibility of the state, and it is unacceptable to play with such a sovereign prerogative with multiple facets. Your arrest or administrative detention should not be seen solely as a sanction but rather as a protective measure. Would you have taken a few steps in public space with your T-shirt without becoming a target for a probable violent extremist, ready to resort to illegality? On the very day of your counterproductive gesture, police services uncovered yet another vehement extremist, ready according to his ideology to restore a "perfect world" where people like you have no place. It escapes you that Morocco firmly fights all forms of extremism, religious or ideological, and is an ideal target precisely because it accepts differences and diverse orientations, because it does its best to leave room and space for everyone. Freedom to think and live is precisely the opposite of extremism, whatever form it takes. Protecting social peace also means protecting those who sometimes unconsciously or knowingly contribute to destabilizing it, as you do. You may not know, but in France, a mayor had to suspend the screening of the film "Barbie," which promotes homosexuality, under pressure from some inhabitants of his municipality. This shows that even further north, there are still hostile reactions to your orientations. Morocco is a nation rooted in strong historical, cultural, and religious values, with certainly some hypocrisy. This is not a flaw but possibly a true asset. Individual freedom must be exercised within the framework of respect for democratically defined values and laws. Your mistake was to cross these boundaries, thus shaking one of the indisputable foundations of Moroccan identity. It is up to everyone, Moroccans and residents, to respect the country's tranquility and allow everyone the freedom to live in peace, without provoking or dividing.

Confiscated Freedoms: El Harrach and Tindouf, Two Faces of the Same Oppression... 514

Aziz Daouda, 3 d.
It was while reading, moved, the heartbreaking letter from Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, addressed ultimately to everyone, that the idea for these few lines came to me. In this letter, written from El-Harrach prison, Sansal fiercely denounces the political repression and arbitrary incarceration imposed by the Algerian regime. This denunciation quickly made me think of the tragic situation of the population confined by the same regime for nearly fifty years in the Tindouf camps in Algeria. My thoughts wandered randomly between the zealots who are there, like my high school friend Sadati, bearers of a chimera; those who stay there without even knowing why; those who have aged there; those buried there; and those born there. It is on these last that my thoughts particularly lingered. The Tindouf camps shelter a few thousand young people born in exile, rather exposed where their parents ultimately did not choose to be, under extremely harsh conditions. For many, they are not even originally from the coveted lands nor bear any claim. They mainly depend on humanitarian aid, live in total precariousness, and see their well-being deteriorate, while those living just a few miles away enjoy abundance, comfort, and rights. They did not ask to be there and dream, like all their peers, of a better life, which truly exists on the other side. Unlike a traditional prison with visible walls, like El Harrach, the Tindouf camps are an open-air prison, a constrained space where these youths are held without trial, without hope of freedom, nor any possibility of returning to their homeland—not by their own choice, but that of their jailers. The common point between El Harrach and Tindouf: the sordid game of a military regime from another era. This prolonged situation strikingly evokes the deprivation of freedom suffered by the detainees of Tindouf and the Algerian political prisoners Boualem Sansal describes in his letter. Both embody the same silenced voice, the same hope confiscated by the whims of officers who only carry the name, and by a military caporalism that, since 1962, continuously invents enemies, uses torture, repression, and deprivation of fundamental rights to maintain its grip on one of the richest countries in the world. This regime has stifled all democratic expression, from annulling election results to the spectacular assassination, broadcast live on television, of President Mohamed Boudiaf, sending a message of terror to the whole people. Recently, it brazenly repressed the peaceful Hirak protests and imprisoned their leaders. This regime no longer hesitates to mistreat even its most loyal servants. Randomly, prime ministers, ministers, high dignitaries, businessmen, generals, and journalists, even foreigners, find themselves subjected to quick trials where only the voice of their master resounds. They end up in the same prison, the famous El Harrach. In his letter, Sansal expresses the physical and moral pain of a man imprisoned for having evoked history, dared to defend justice and dignity. His words carry the voice of all those whom the regime seeks to silence. This captive voice painfully echoes the fate of the youngsters held in Tindouf, also deprived of their most basic freedoms and condemned to endless waiting in a desert environment, hostile and hopeless. Far from being a mere analogy, this comparison reveals a universal reality: whether behind bars or in the vast inhospitable desert, deprivation of freedom, forced exile, and broken hope remain the instruments of relentless political oppression. For these youths, the "march through an endless desert" is both a physical ordeal marked by extreme poverty, scorching heat, and isolation, and a metaphor for their quest for identity, dream of regaining their freedom, and joining the motherland. Beyond denunciation, in his letter, Sansal makes a solemn appeal to France, asking it not to sacrifice its values on the altar of mercantile contingencies. The same appeal is addressed to the international community, on behalf of the young detainees of Tindouf, so that human rights principles are not sacrificed on the altar of geopolitical interests. This appeal is all the more relevant facing the situation of these youths, many of whom are not even originally from the Moroccan Sahara but are still imprisoned in a situation of exile and oblivion. Thus, behind two different walls, a prison cell and undocumented, unrecognized refugee camps, lies the same tragedy: human beings reduced to waiting, to deprivation of liberty, and to a silent struggle not to disappear. This convergence highlights the urgency of strong humanitarian and political action to end these imprisonments so that freedom of thought, of living, and of deciding one’s own destiny is never again captured by an oppressive political machine, devised and implemented by an anachronistic military staff. Thank you, sir, for awakening in me this fiber of compassion, even pity, for young people who deserve to live a better future. I take here again Boualem Sansal’s words, which I address to the youth imprisoned in Tindouf: *"Fear is a prison larger than the one where I find myself, and it is harder to break. But I know that one day, the wall will fall. Dictators always end up falling."* Youth of Tindouf, You will break the barbed wire, you will cross the checkpoints to return home by the strength of your character and the power of your will. Your country, that of your ancestors, the Kingdom of Morocco, awaits you; the future opens its arms to you; life will smile upon you for eternity, you will taste freedom there, the joy of living, of building yourself and of ensuring a happy future for your children. Your dreams will come true there and your ambitions will be realized. You will be the continuation of your ancestors in a diverse and powerful nation as it has been for centuries. You will help enrich humanity by your knowledge, your creativity, your genius. You just have to dare.