He evaded the Sahara and France: Mohamed VI is concerned about his notable physical deterioration

In the long-awaited speech marking his 25-year reign, Mohamed VI surprised everyone by omitting Emmanuel Macron's backing for the Moroccan claim to Western Sahara, previously anticipated by state media. The monarch, visibly weakened and assisted by his son Mulay Hasán, centered his statement on the six-year drought crisis affecting Morocco and on a peace proposal for the Gaza Strip. The absence of reference to the Western Sahara dispute, which provoked an angry reaction from Algeria, unexpectedly left a crucial issue out of the speech, while France refused to confirm a shift in its stance regarding the disputed territory. Mohamed VI emphasized projects such as the construction of desalination plants to address water scarcity and asked to accelerate the water initiatives in the country.

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