Kenya Shatters Secessionist Narrative and Announces Explicit Support for Autonomy Proposal in Morocco’s Sahara

ALDAR/

In a significant diplomatic shift, Kenya—one of the leading economic and political powers in East Africa—has adopted a new and decisive stance on the Moroccan Sahara issue, breaking away from its previous positions that consistently supported the Polisario Front.

During an official visit to the Moroccan capital, Rabat, the Kenyan Prime Minister made historic statements in which he affirmed his country’s clear and explicit support for the autonomy initiative proposed by the Kingdom of Morocco as a final and realistic solution to the Sahara issue. He stated:
“Kenya considers that the Moroccan autonomy initiative represents the only serious, realistic, and sustainable approach to resolving this regional dispute.”

The Kenyan official further noted, during his meeting with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita on Monday, that his country highly values the growing international momentum around Morocco’s proposal. He praised the strong dynamic launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, which has made the autonomy plan an increasingly supported option within the international community.

This announcement was far more than a routine diplomatic statement; it marked a new turning point in Moroccan-Kenyan relations and sent a clear message to Morocco’s regional rivals—chief among them Algeria—that the balance of support across the African continent is shifting in favor of Morocco’s position, which is based on realism and constructive political solutions.

This development is widely seen as a painful diplomatic blow to the Polisario Front and its backers, especially amid a decline in the number of African countries that still recognize the “fictional entity,” while the circle of support for Morocco and its sovereignty-respecting, pragmatic proposal continues to expand.

This evolution further strengthens Morocco’s position as a key diplomatic player on the African continent and supports its strategy of building strong and balanced partnerships with Global South nations based on mutual respect and shared interests.

With this new position, Kenya joins a growing number of African and international countries that view the autonomy initiative proposed by the Kingdom of Morocco in 2007 as the most effective solution to end a long-standing conflict that has hindered development and integration efforts in the Maghreb and Sahel regions.