Morocco will press on with its outreach to the Sahel

Significance During that meeting, discussions focused on a Moroccan proposal to grant these landlocked countries access to the Atlantic Ocean. The proposal hints at a transactional arrangement: Morocco trades economic assistance (and political legitimation for military-run states) for supporting its position on the Western Sahara. Impacts The Sahelian states will receive a diplomatic boost by being able to showcase a new partner, but few immediate economic gains. Algiers will counter Rabat’s initiative with its own diplomatic engagements and investments. Rabat’s successful outreach will partly depend on its ability to offer substantive economic assistance.