Overview
- Mali’s transitional government announced support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara and said it no longer recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
- Morocco’s proposal would create local elected bodies for the territory while Rabat would keep control over defense, foreign policy, and religious affairs.
- The Polisario Front rejects that approach and continues to seek a referendum that includes independence as an option.
- Support for the autonomy framework has widened, with recent African endorsements and a U.N. Security Council resolution last year urging negotiations based on Morocco’s plan.
- Mali’s move comes as its ties with Algeria are strained by a disputed drone shootdown on their desert border, a clash that each side describes differently.