France reaffirms its willingness to invest in the Sahara

The French Minister of Foreign Trade, Franck Riester, welcomed, Thursday in Casablanca, «Morocco's efforts in terms of investments in the Sahara», according to AFP. France is «ready to support these efforts», he declared.

Riester indicated that «Proparco, a subsidiary of the French Development Agency (AFD) dedicated to the private sector, could contribute to the financing of a high voltage line between Dakhla and Casablanca», the news agency added.

For the record, French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné affirmed his government's readiness to «accompany Morocco in the development» of the Sahara on February 26 in Rabat.

«Morocco has invested heavily in development projects for the benefit of local populations in terms of training, renewable energies, tourism, and the blue economy linked to aquatic resources», he admitted in a press statement following his meeting with Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita.

On April 3, during the press briefing of the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, the topic of French investment in the Sahara arose. The Polisario has not yet officially reacted to these announcements.

On the other hand, an Algerian media outlet has already stated that any French investment in the province «would be synonymous with France's frank and direct support for Morocco's colonialist and illegal occupation of these non-autonomous territories».