King Mohammed VI’s Latest Speech: Western Sahara First and Last, While Moroccans Suffer in Silence

BY: Dr. Hana Saada

Algiers, Algeria | October 16th, 2024 — In an unexpected and rather astonishing address to the Moroccan Parliament, King Mohammed VI chose to focus solely on the issue of Western Sahara, completely neglecting the urgent domestic challenges that his country faces. While Morocco grapples with escalating economic and social crises, the king has consistently evaded these pressing matters, opting instead to submerge the nation deeper into the Western Sahara conflict, as if Morocco were a land of endless prosperity. By ignoring the reality of poverty, unemployment, and deteriorating social services, the king has once again prioritized his long-standing territorial ambitions over the dire needs of his people.

In nations that value sovereignty and show respect for their citizens, the parliamentary floor is typically reserved for discussions on pressing domestic issues—employment, education, housing shortages, healthcare, and poverty. But it seems that King Mohammed VI has found an escape route from his responsibilities. He distracts the Moroccan people from their bleak reality by immersing them in an external issue. One might wonder if the king is unaware that he has a nation to govern and a people whose basic demands continue to be overlooked.

This speech was no ordinary address—it was a glaring reflection of the priorities of a ruler who seems to hold the sands of Western Sahara in higher esteem than the lives of his own citizens. Consider the Moroccan youth who risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean in search of better opportunities. Or the impoverished parents who can’t provide for their children, the sick who suffer due to the lack of medical equipment, and the addicts who roam the streets in a haze of desperation. Even more heart-wrenching, imagine the father who lies awake at night, fearful that his decrepit home will collapse under the winter rains, leaving his children exposed to the elements.

How is it that the members of the Moroccan Parliament remain silent in the face of this neglect? How have they not stood up to remind their king that Morocco has a population with real and urgent needs? The reality may be that King Mohammed VI is so detached from his people’s struggles, having lived his life behind the fortified walls of palaces, that he has no concept of hunger, homelessness, or the daily hardships faced by ordinary Moroccans. As the son of King Hassan II, who was born into immense wealth, Mohammed VI has never experienced the struggles of the common people. So, perhaps it’s unsurprising that what matters most to him—securing Western Sahara—seems trivial to the suffering masses of Morocco.

Yet, the absurdity of this situation cannot be overstated. King Mohammed VI’s obsession with Western Sahara continues even as international institutions and courts, like the European Court of Justice, issue rulings that challenge Morocco’s claims and halt agreements enabling the exploitation of Western Sahara’s resources. Clinging to the fleeting legitimacy granted by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial recognition of Morocco’s control over the territory—granted in exchange for normalization with the Zionist entity—the king remains fixated on this illegal occupation. His enthusiasm for the deal seems to stem more from his willingness to betray the Palestinian cause and forsake his own Arab identity than from any concern for the people of Western Sahara.

Amid this farce, one question remains: where do the Moroccan people rank in the king’s list of priorities? If Western Sahara is his sole focus, when, if ever, will he turn his attention to the real crises plaguing his nation? Or has he already resigned the Moroccan people to a fate of neglect, perhaps offering them up to his new ally, the criminal Zionist entity, in exchange for political gains? For a king who appears to have lost touch with reality, it seems that Western Sahara is his true kingdom, and its people are his real subjects. Is he so deluded that he now believes the Moroccan Parliament is merely a platform for debating the fate of Western Sahara?

The Moroccan people, meanwhile, continue to endure—forgotten, forsaken, and buried beneath the weight of their king’s obsessions.

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