France's interior minister set to visit Morocco for 'security cooperation'

France's Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, is set to visit Morocco this month as both nations move past their two-year diplomatic dispute.

"On Monday, 22 April, the French Minister of the Interior will be received by his Moroccan counterpart, Abdelouafi Laftit, for one-on-one discussions before the two parties hold an expanded working session covering various subjects of common interest," local media reported on Wednesday, quoting official sources. 

Darmanin is set to tackle terrorism, migration and potential security cooperation in the Olympic games in Paris, added the same source.

This visit comes two months after Rabat and Paris officially resolved their diplomatic rift over Western Sahara.

In February, France's Foreign Minister, Stéphane Séjourné, announced from Rabat that his country supported Morocco's autonomy plan in the disputed territory.

In 2007, Morocco presented its autonomy plan for the territory. This plan is designed to allow Saharawis to govern their affairs "democratically" through legislative, executive, and judicial bodies while Morocco retains control over defence and foreign relations.

The UN supported the plan, but Algeria and the Polisario Front separatist movement rejected Rabat's proposal thus far.

Séjourné's visit marked a French official's first visit to the North African Kingdom in two years, signalling the end of Paris' ambiguity' on the disputed territory.

Although France initially supported Rabat's autonomy plan in 2007, in recent years, Paris has refrained from taking a clear position on the conflict, prioritising efforts to improve relations with Algeria, a longstanding adversary of Rabat and a vital supporter of the Polisario Front.

During his visit to Rabat last week, France's Foreign Trade Minister, Franck Riester, stated that the French Development Agency (AFD), via its private sector financing arm Proparco, could help fund a project involving a high-voltage power line between Dakhla, Western Sahara's capital, and the Moroccan port city of Casablanca.

A report by Africa Intelligence has confirmed that Paris is encouraging French investors to explore opportunities in the territory.

In a press release, the Polisario Front condemned "this dangerous escalation of France's hostile stance towards the Sahrawi people."

"France's plan represents explicit support for Morocco's illegal occupation of parts of Western Sahara," added the statement shared by Algerian state media on 7 April.