To date, Dakhla is host to consulates from Gambia, Guinea, Djibouti, Liberia, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as well as the United States.
RABAT–Senegal, Morocco’s longstanding regional ally, is set to join the ranks of African countries that have taken their recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara to a tangible consular level.
Citing official sources, Moroccan media reported Senegal is set to open a consulate general in Dakhla, the second most populated city in Western Sahara, on Monday.
The inauguration will be attended by senior diplomats, members of local authorities, as well as notable figures of the community, Moroccan media said.
Senegal’s move in support of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara sends a strong message in favor of Morocco’s right to the disputed territory.
To date, Dakhla is a host to consulates from Gambia, Guinea, Djibouti, Liberia, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as well as the United States.
In Laayoune, the largest city in the southern province, there are diplomatic missions from Jordan, Comoros, Gabon, Sao Tome, and Principe, the Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Burundi, Eswatini, Zambia, the UAE, and Bahrain.
Last month, Suriname announced its intention to open a consulate general in Dakhla, as well as inaugurating an embassy in Rabat, with a view to boosting bilateral cooperation and promoting investment and trade.
Western Sahara is a disputed and divided former Spanish colony, mostly under Morocco’s control, where tensions with the Algeria-backed Polisario Front have simmered since the 1970s.
In January, the US started the “process of establishing” a consulate in Western Sahara, after Washington recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed territory.
The shift in US foreign policy creates new opportunities for trade and tourism that will likely provide a welcome boost for the region and sun-kissed coastal cities like Dakhla.
Western Sahara’s economy is run by Morocco, which has built most of the territory’s
