Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita on Monday warned against the dangers posed by separatist movements in Africa, saying the continent’s stability and development depend on preserving the territorial integrity of states and confronting threats linked to fragmentation, terrorism, and organized crime.
Speaking in Rabat during celebrations marking Africa Day, Bourita said Morocco considers security and stability essential conditions for Africa’s economic development and regional integration, stressing that these objectives require stronger cooperation among African countries against destabilizing actors.
“The stability of the continent also requires the fight against separatist movements, terrorism, and organized crime networks,” Bourita said while presenting what he described as the foundations of the Royal Vision for Africa under the leadership of King Mohammed VI.
The Moroccan minister linked this approach to Rabat’s long-standing position on the Sahara issue, underlining that support from nearly two-thirds of African countries for Morocco’s autonomy initiative reflects growing continental backing for a political solution based on territorial integrity and stability.
Bourita also referred to the latest United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797, saying it provides “clear answers, far from any interpretations,” regarding the framework for settling the dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, the parties involved in the political process, and the modalities of a final solution.
Morocco has increasingly framed separatism as a broader continental security challenge rather than only a national issue linked to the Sahara dispute, especially amid growing concerns across Africa over armed groups, transnational criminal networks, and instability in the Sahel region.
During his speech, Bourita emphasized that Morocco’s African policy is rooted in “belonging, optimism and trust” and based on a comprehensive approach combining diplomacy, economic cooperation, security coordination, religious engagement, and development partnerships.
He recalled that Morocco has signed nearly 1,800 bilateral agreements with African countries, including 1,400 since King Mohammed VI ascended the throne, while the monarch has carried out 53 visits to more than 30 African states.
The minister also highlighted Morocco’s role in regional development initiatives, including the Atlantic Initiative and the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project, presenting them as examples of Rabat’s strategy to promote integration, connectivity, and stability across the continent.
Bourita further said Morocco has become a major diplomatic and educational hub in Africa, noting that the Kingdom currently hosts around 60,000 African students and provides thousands of scholarships annually to students from across the continent.
“The African diplomacy of His Majesty the King is a diplomacy of action and concreteness,” Bourita said, adding that Morocco sees Africa not as a strategic option, but as “an essential component of its identity and foreign action.”
