Spanish Institute Calls for Recognition of Western Sahara and Rif Independence

As tensions continue to flare between Morocco and Spain whenever Madrid moves closer to Algeria, particularly through Moroccan regime’s use of irregular migration flows toward the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, a growing number of voices in Spain are urging Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government to respond in kind in order to deter the Moroccan regime’s provocations.

Among the latest interventions is a statement by the Institute for Hispano Studies, which has called on Madrid to strengthen its ties with Algeria and actively oppose Rabat’s strategic ambitions, even if doing so were to provoke a strong reaction from the Moroccan rogue regime in light of its recent conduct.

In a post published Monday, August 3, on X, the institute wrote: “Spain has three very simple solutions to confront Morocco’s repeated threats against the cities of Ceuta and Melilla: support the independence of the Rif region in northern Morocco, back the independence of Western Sahara, and work toward securing Algeria access to the Atlantic Ocean.”

The institute justified this position by arguing that Spain’s interests with Algeria outweigh those it shares with the Moroccan regime, which it is serving the interests of major powers—specifically the zionist entity and the United States. According to the institute, those powers have sought to pressure Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government because of its stance on the war in Gaza and the Zionist-American military action against Iran.

The institute also outlined several reasons why it believes Algeria is of greater strategic importance to Spain than Morocco. It noted that Algeria is Africa’s largest country by land area, covering approximately 2.38 million square kilometers—more than five times the size of Morocco within its internationally recognized borders. Algeria’s population exceeds Morocco’s by more than 24%.

“Algeria ranks tenth globally and first in Africa in natural gas production, while placing seventeenth worldwide in oil and petroleum products. By contrast, Morocco imports between 90 and 94% of its energy needs, giving Algeria a significant financial and strategic advantage, particularly in sustaining defense spending”, the Spanish institute added.

The institute further argued that Algeria enjoys greater strategic depth than its western neighbor due to its vast territory extending deep into the African continent, providing broader logistical space for force deployment and defense in depth.

On military matters, the institute stated that Algeria substantially outspends Morocco on defense, with a military budget exceeding $21 billion—roughly four times Morocco’s defense allocation, explaining that this places Algeria among the region’s leading military powers.

The institute also highlighted Algeria’s revolutionary legacy, referring to its war of independence against French colonial rule. In contrast, the Moroccan regime, which had been under French protectorate, achieved independence through the Aix-les-Bains negotiations, which left the country under continued French influence. According to the institute, Algeria maintained its revolutionary momentum after independence by adopting an anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist foreign policy while supporting liberation movements and decolonization efforts in the world, including those related to Western Sahara and Palestine, as well as by cultivating close ties with countries of the Global South.

The study reflects views held by a number of Spanish strategic analysts who have, on several occasions, criticized what they see as the Sánchez government’s acquiescence to Moroccan regime’s pressure and provocations, including the use of Pegasus spyware targeting the phones of senior Spanish political and military officials, as well as journalists, and deliberately facilitating waves of irregular migration toward Spanish territory whenever it observed that relations between Madrid and Algiers have strengthened.