Sahrawi Controversy Over Land Mobilization for Investment

Data regarding the mobilization of public real estate for investment projects in Morocco's southern provinces has sparked a new controversy, following a report published by the Polisario-affiliated news agency on Saturday, November 14, based on an analysis prepared by the Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) of Moroccan financial documents.

According to the report, the areas mobilized for investment in the regions covered by the analysis reached approximately 46,811 hectares during the year 2024, out of 48,914 hectares in the total reference used for comparison. It also mentioned the allocation of 22,193 hectares during the first half of 2026, compared to 23,374 hectares in the reference total.

The observatory linked these figures to projects in renewable energy, mining, green hydrogen, and export-oriented agriculture, arguing that the nature of the land allocation raises legal and human rights objections.

Conversely, Moroccan authorities place the mobilization of real estate for investment within the framework of economic development policies and capital attraction, reaffirming their sovereignty over the southern provinces.

It is essential to distinguish between the areas cited in the documents as mobilized for investment and the claim that they were forcibly seized from specific owners; the latter requires property deeds, judicial decisions, or independent evidence that were not provided in the published coverage.