El Independiente- Mohammed VI: The Reluctant King Exploiting the EU to Seize Western Sahara

Written By: Abderrahman Buhaia

Translated By: Dr. Hana Saada

Algiers, Algeria | December 30th, 2024 — On July 23, 1999, Mohammed VI ascended to the throne of Morocco, inheriting a deeply troubled legacy from his father, Hassan II. While the transition marked the end of an era defined by political oppression and social upheaval, the new king’s reluctance to govern and his reliance on strategic alliances signal a continuation of Morocco’s aggressive ambitions, particularly in Western Sahara.

Hassan II’s reign, commencing in 1961, was characterized by what is now infamously remembered as the “Years of Lead”—a period of unrelenting state violence, censorship, and fear. This era of brutal governance etched itself into the collective psyche of Moroccans, fostering a climate of pervasive paranoia and submissiveness. The monarchy became an object of enforced reverence, its image synonymous with omnipotence. Yet even under such an iron grip, Hassan II faced existential threats, including two bloody coups in the early 1970s that eroded his trust not only in the public but also in the military.

In a calculated diversion of attention, Hassan II launched an invasion of Western Sahara in 1975, seizing the territory after Spain’s withdrawal. The region’s vast natural resources—including rich phosphate reserves, extensive fisheries, and potential offshore oil deposits—offered a promise of economic salvation. However, the campaign also plunged Morocco into a costly and protracted conflict with the Sahrawi people’s Polisario Front, transforming what was envisioned as a quick territorial acquisition into a decades-long quagmire.

Despite receiving robust support from global powers, such as the United States, France, and Gulf monarchies, Hassan II eventually recognized the futility of a purely military solution. In the late 1980s, he pivoted to diplomacy, championing a “Settlement Plan” under the auspices of the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity. This plan, ostensibly aimed at resolving the conflict through a referendum, was, in reality, a calculated attempt to freeze the situation indefinitely.

Hassan II passed away in 1999, leaving Mohammed VI a kingdom burdened with unresolved disputes and a throne laden with expectations. Unlike his father, Mohammed VI was initially disinterested in governance, preferring the hedonistic allure of European nightlife and luxurious retreats. Yet the weight of the Western Sahara issue, a legacy he could neither escape nor ignore, forced him to adopt his father’s Machiavellian playbook—albeit with a modern twist.

Mohammed VI has adeptly leveraged Morocco’s strategic alliances to fortify his position on Western Sahara. The European Union, lured by lucrative trade agreements and geopolitical interests, has often acquiesced to Rabat’s claims over the region. This complicity has allowed Morocco to exploit the territory’s resources while marginalizing the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.

The king’s approach is emblematic of a broader strategy: maintaining an image of reform and modernity abroad while entrenching authoritarianism at home. Domestically, dissent is stifled, and opposition voices advocating for Western Sahara’s independence are systematically silenced. Internationally, Morocco continues to wield diplomatic influence to undermine the Sahrawi cause, leveraging economic ties and bilateral agreements to erode global support for a resolution aligned with international law.

Despite these maneuvers, Mohammed VI faces mounting challenges. The resilience of the Sahrawi people, coupled with growing international awareness of the conflict, threatens to upend Morocco’s carefully curated narrative. The king’s reliance on external validation and economic partnerships underscores a fragile sovereignty over Western Sahara, one that remains contested and far from resolved.

The Makhzen and Mohamed VI: A Calculated Strategy to Maintain Power and Conquer Western Sahara

The Makhzen, a sadistic oligarchic circle that, de facto, is the true power directing and pulling all the strings of Moroccan politics, has resolved its dilemma. Mohamed VI needs only to appear in public as the supreme monarch who, in theory, governs the destiny of Morocco, ensuring the continuity of the Alaouite dynasty, while simultaneously continuing to live in his personal bubble of leisure and amusement, without altering in the slightest his routine of excess, ostentation, and extravagance.

As for the issue of Western Sahara, Mohamed VI has no cause for concern. On his behalf, the Makhzen has devised a novel and ingenious plan that, in addition to being self-financing, will begin generating profits immediately upon implementation. Since defeating the Sahrawis in war has proven impossible, and the status quo of an indefinite truce has likewise failed to wear them down, it is now time to turn to the European Union, using it as the “perfect ramp” to relaunch Morocco’s annexationist claims and seize Western Sahara.

The prosperous European Union—a cohesive, democratic, modern, and solvent bloc—is the “master key” Morocco needs to circumvent the “fence” of international legality. It is the definitive endorsement Morocco must wield in the murky international political stage to take control of the Non-Self-Governing Territory of Western Sahara.

Dominating Western Sahara: Morocco’s Top Priority

Satisfied with these two conditions—”tele-reigning” without abandoning his extravagant lifestyle and instrumentalizing the EU to conquer Western Sahara—Mohamed VI is crowned King of Morocco. He is adorned with the titles previously held by his father: “Commander of the Faithful”—more accurately, the credulous—and “President of the Al-Quds Committee (Jerusalem)”, which he would later offer to Netanyahu as indisputable evidence of allegiance and reciprocity regarding occupation. He gives the Makhzen the green light to execute, without delay, the plan it has devised, employing “all necessary means.”

The Makhzen sets to work to implement its insidious plan, which, in summary, consists of the following:

1. Planting the Idea of Morocco as Europe’s Guardian

The Makhzen’s first objective is to implant in the minds of European politicians the notion that Morocco is the “guardian” and infallible shield that Europe cannot afford to do without, protecting it from the fearsome triad of drug trafficking, human trafficking, and terrorism.

The Makhzen knows full well that European leaders are not naive and are perfectly aware—as acknowledged by Juan Fernando López Aguilar when referring to the “toad-eating” of the PSOE leadership in its dealings with Morocco—that its claims are a false chimera. This is not only because the claims are inherently false but because the very dangers feared originate and are forged precisely in Morocco. However, the goal here is that these politicians, in turn (making hypocrisy their calling), extrapolate this idea to society, embedding it subliminally and permanently into the minds of Europeans.

2 – Once the previous idea is deeply ingrained in the subconscious of European public opinion, it is time to take action. It is no secret that both the land border (of the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla) shared between Spain and Morocco, as well as Spain’s entire coastline (peninsular, Balearic, and Canary), have lived for decades under the constant threat of the fearsome triad. This is something that is practically taken for granted and is the direct consequence of having a narco-state as a neighbor (which, in Spain’s specific case, can aptly be described as the Alaouite narco-monarchy).

Drug trafficking is the cornerstone on which the other two sides of this malignant triangle are built. The existence of drug trafficking—fully entrenched as an entire narco-monarchy—intrinsically entails, to a greater or lesser extent, the proliferation of human trafficking and the rise of terrorist acts.

Now, this “three-headed monster” that the Makhzen nurtures, tends to, and cherishes is being unleashed with all its might upon Europe, using Spain (which, since the Transition—or more accurately, since it relinquished Western Sahara—has become the weak link Morocco can bully whenever it pleases) as the bridge to strangle the continent with waves of immigration and to flood it with hashish (cultivated in the massive plantations of the kingdom’s northern region) and cocaine (which ships arriving from Colombia and other Latin American countries unload with impunity in the ports of Laayoune and Dakhla).

As for the “third head of the monster”—terrorism—only God knows the extent of its reach. However, its scale and potential harm cannot be underestimated, likely equaling that of the sophisticated ‘Israeli’ drones the Makhzen uses to strike Sahrawi, Mauritanian, or Algerian civilians traveling through the desert.

This continuous coercive dynamic will only abate—temporarily and selectively—when the political context demands it and the Makhzen deems it appropriate. This will always be contingent upon the European Union (which has effectively become subservient to the Makhzen) paying its periodic multi-million euro “tribute,” ostensibly under the guise of “aid to contain immigration.”

3 – Another method (utterly devoid of ethics and morality, as is everything related to the Makhzen) encompassed in this sinister plan is digital espionage or cyber-espionage. This involves using malicious software—such as Pegasus—to infiltrate the devices (phones, computers, etc.) of leaders (primarily European), politicians, and prominent figures (journalists, lawyers, academics, activists) who, in some way, are connected to the issue of Western Sahara or any other political or economic matter of interest to the Makhzen.

The objective is clear: those targeted become hostages to the personal information collected about them, now at the mercy of the Makhzen, leaving them no choice but to submit to its dictates. They are faced with two options: to stand up and denounce the coercion, as Spanish journalist Ignacio Cembrero did, or to humiliate themselves, remain silent, and obey, as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has done.

In parallel with the espionage activities, the Makhzen has allocated a significant budget to buying influence, particularly among politicians associated with the European Parliament. The politicians the Makhzen manages to corrupt find themselves bound to it by the simple fact of accepting bribes. From that point on, they are left with no alternative but to comply with and execute the instructions handed down to them to secure the “price” they themselves have set on their loyalty.

This is one of the reasons (along with the pro-Moroccan stance of Spain’s socialists) why the European Parliament—despite its political diversity—consistently hesitates to address or support any mention or motion in favor of the Sahrawi cause.

The Makhzen throws open the doors of occupied Western Sahara for the total and rampant plundering of its natural resources

Finally, we arrive at the most critical aspect of this situation (ironically, the one that could ultimately bring the entire plan crashing down like a house of cards). The Makhzen throws open the doors of occupied Western Sahara, enabling the unrestrained and total exploitation of the territory’s natural resources. It works tirelessly, day and night, scrambling to seize everything it can, as though fearing eviction the very next day.

Industrial fishing—in its trawling, longlining, and purse-seining modalities—dominates the Sahrawi fishing grounds, overwhelmingly favoring European shipowners. This exploitation represents a staggering 96% of the total catch, conducted on a massive and intensive scale in Sahrawi waters. The highly sought-after fresh and diverse Sahrawi fish products are rebranded as “products of Morocco” and shipped to supermarkets across Europe.

Similarly, fruits and vegetables grown in Western Sahara flood into Europe under the guise of Moroccan labeling. Thousands of tons of tomatoes and melons arrive daily in European markets, falsely bearing Moroccan origins. To ensure the uninterrupted flow of this produce, a colossal agro-industrial megacity spanning 5,000 hectares (50,000 km²) has been constructed in Dakhla (formerly Villa Cisneros) in the southern part of the territory. This vast complex is entirely dedicated to the cultivation of tomatoes and melons, with cherry tomatoes—yielding between 80 and 120 tons per hectare and prized for their high quality and durability for long-distance transport—occupying the majority of the gargantuan greenhouse city.

This massive agricultural exploitation is managed by four major agro-industrial companies: Rosaflor, Soprofel, Azura, and Les Domaines Agricoles, whose ownership is shared between King Mohammed VI, the Makhzen, and French business groups. While the export of tomatoes and melons grown in Western Sahara is expanding exponentially, the agricultural sector in southeastern Spain and other parts of Europe deteriorates, losing profitability daily, crushed under the weight of rampant and unfair competition. This disparity is fueled by tax exemptions, a lack of quality controls, and cheap labor, which unfairly tip the scales in favor of these exploitative operations.

The theft is most evident in the fisheries and agricultural agreements between the European Union and Morocco. The signing of these agreements politically legitimizes Morocco’s claim to a territory that does not belong to it, thus committing the deliberate crime of receiving stolen goods—a violation explicitly defined in the penal codes of all EU member states.

However, this is not the only form of plunder. At the port of Laayoune, an unstoppable flow of cargo ships operates around the clock, waiting their turn to depart laden with phosphate minerals extracted from the open-pit mines of Bou Craa. This relentless exploitation of Sahrawi resources exemplifies the Makhzen’s systematic looting of the territory, facilitated by international complicity.

In tandem with these actions, Spain’s coastal regions—including its peninsular, Balearic, and Canary coasts—have, for decades, faced the persistent threat of a menacing triad. This reality, widely acknowledged, stems directly from having a narco-state as a neighbor.

This is the Makhzen’s plan for the European Union: Applying the “carrot and stick” theory

This is the basis of the Makhzen’s plan for the European Union: to apply the simple “carrot and stick” theory, where the first three sections are the stick, and the fourth is the carrot. And, to a certain extent, it has worked. The Makhzen has managed to keep the entire EU on edge—if not outright submissive—for years, convincing them to consider Morocco as a “preferred and strategic partner,” to the extent that it was worth turning a blind eye and giving Morocco the impression (via the signing of the aforementioned agreements) that Western Sahara was irreversibly its own.

But there is something the Makhzen didn’t account for, something unimaginable in Morocco: judicial independence.

In 2012, the POLISARIO Front challenged the fishing and free trade agreements between Rabat and Brussels, which included Western Sahara. A fierce legal battle ensued, with the Sahrawis, represented by the brilliant lawyer Gilles Devers (who passed away on November 26, and to whom we pay tribute through this humble article, feeling the loss as our own along with his family and friends), having to face the full might of the European Union and its powerful Commission. After twelve long years, filled with obstacles, delays, and tough legal battles, with rulings and appeals presented in 2016, 2019, and 2021, it was finally on October 4, 2024, that the Court of Justice of the European Union declared the European Union-Morocco trade agreements on fishing and agricultural products null and void because they included Western Sahara without the express consent of its people, legitimately represented by the POLISARIO Front.

This historic ruling not only dismantles the Makhzen’s nefarious plan to annex Western Sahara, but it also:

1. In accordance with international law, reminds the Makhzen (and Sánchez and Macron) that Morocco’s southern border is defined by the 27°40’N parallel (Sebjat Tah).
2. Sets an indisputable legal precedent that enables the POLISARIO Front to take legal action against any European entity or company (public or private) attempting to operate in Western Sahara without its prior consent.
3. By recognizing the POLISARIO Front as a legitimate interlocutor before the European Union, it implicitly acknowledges the just war that the Sahrawi people were forced to wage to defend their land from the Moroccan occupier. Thus, the monumental ruling by the EU Court of Justice, beyond its economic implications, carries significant political consequences, signaling a dark future for Morocco, which had placed its “last hope” in using the European Union to endorse the occupation of Western Sahara.

Abderrahman Buhaia is a Sahrawi interpreter and educator.

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