Belgium and Morocco strengthen ties with agreement on migrant returns and Western Sahara

Following in the footsteps of France, Germany, the United States and the European Union, Belgium has now formally declared its support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for the disputed territory of Western Sahara. At the same time, the two countries have concluded a bilateral agreement to facilitate the return of irregular migrants with criminal convictions.

It's a renewed effort to address one of the most persistent challenges in Belgian asylum and migration policy: the repatriation process. Currently, three in ten inmates in Belgian prisons are in the country illegally. Despite the incoming government’s ambition to reduce this number, progress has been slow, De Tijd reports.

In the first half of this year, Belgium’s Immigration Office repatriated just 717 convicted offenders, primarily to Morocco (147), Albania (115) and Algeria (73). Under the new deal, Morocco has agreed to accept a greater number of offenders residing illegally in Belgium.

In exchange, Belgium will extend diplomatic support to Morocco’s autonomy proposal for Western Sahara, a region that has been at the centre of an international dispute for almost 50 years. The agreement was announced following talks between Belgian Foreign minister Maxime Prévot (Les Engagés) and his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita in Brussels.

At a press conference, Prévot confirmed that Belgium would now formally and diplomatically support Morocco’s plan for Western Sahara. While Belgium had previously hinted at alignment with Rabat’s initiative, this marks its first official endorsement. The autonomy plan has already been endorsed by the United States, France, Germany and the European Union.

Morocco’s proposal for Western Sahara sets out plans for the creation of a Sahara Autonomous Region with its own legislative and executive institutions. The plan clearly defines the division of powers, stipulating that the Moroccan central government would retain control over national security, defence, foreign affairs, justice, currency and national symbols, while devolving substantial powers to the regional administration.

From Spanish province to no man's land

Until 1975, Western Sahara was a Spanish overseas province known as Spanish Sahara. A decade earlier, the United Nations had called on Spain to end its colonial rule and negotiate the territory’s independence.

Since Spain’s withdrawal, Morocco has taken control of most of the region. The country refers to the territory as its southern provinces and administers the majority of it, including the main cities. However, this claim is not universally recognised by the international community.

Opposing Morocco is the Polisario Front, a movement representing the indigenous Sahrawi people which seeks full independence. In 1976, the Polisario proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which has been recognised by dozens of states but is not a member of the United Nations.

The UN considers Western Sahara to be a non-self-governing territory. Meanwhile, the conflict between Morocco and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front has raged for almost fifty years, claiming an estimated 9,000 lives in the last sixteen years alone.

^{© BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND}