Abdelilah Benkirane has reignited the debate over the status of the Eastern Sahara, currently under Algerian control, by declaring that it is Moroccan. «Touat, Tindouf, and Bechar are Moroccan territories. Their inhabitants are Moroccans», stated the Secretary General of the Justice and Development Party (PJD) during a recent party meeting focused on the reform of the Family Code. Benkirane emphasized historical ties by noting that, «Before Algeria's independence, the population of the Eastern Sahara applied for Moroccan passports at the kingdom's embassy in Paris.» He highlighted a proposal from France, which had occupied the Eastern Sahara since 1934, to retrocede the region to Morocco. However, King Mohammed V declined this offer, opting instead to negotiate with the «Algerian brothers» after their independence. The PJD leader explained that the King's decision was influenced by an agreement with Ferhat Abbas, the then President of the Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic (GPRA), established on September 19, 1958. Despite these negotiations, Benkirane lamented, «Once independent, the Algerians refused to cede the Eastern Sahara to Morocco. Even though King Hassan II ceded this territory to Algeria, it was never ratified by the Moroccan parliament. This remains a bone of contention.» The historical context traces back to France's occupation of the Eastern Sahara in 1934, following its colonization of Algeria in 1830. The issue remains a sensitive point in Moroccan-Algerian relations, with territorial claims still unresolved.
