Mali said on Friday it supports Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara and withdraws recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
Western Sahara remains a disputed former Spanish colony largely controlled by Morocco, with its post-colonial status still unresolved across Africa.
The Polisario Front claims the territory and demands a United Nations-supervised referendum to ensure Sahrawi self-determination for its indigenous people.
Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the most credible and realistic solution to the long dispute.
Bamako also announced it has formally withdrawn recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic declared by the Polisario Front in 1976.
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita welcomed the decision, describing Mali’s political shift as a historic moment for regional diplomacy.
The move comes amid worsening diplomatic tensions between Mali and Algeria, which supports the Polisario Front and opposes Rabat’s position.
Morocco and Algeria have long clashed over Western Sahara, a vast desert region rich in phosphates and strategic Atlantic fishing waters.
The United Nations Security Council in 2025 backed Morocco’s autonomy proposal, marking a shift from earlier calls for broad negotiations.
The Polisario Front maintains Morocco must honour a 1991 agreement that envisaged a UN-monitored referendum on Western Sahara’s final status.