Colombia has taken a step Moroccan diplomats have quietly worked toward for years. Bogotá announced this weekend that it formally recognizes the Kingdom of Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara provinces, becoming the latest nation to align with Rabat’s position on one of the country’s most sensitive foreign policy files.
The announcement followed high-level talks in the Colombian capital between Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, Colombian Vice President José Manuel Restrepo, and Foreign Minister Omar Bula Escobar. All three officials described the shift as a « historic » milestone for bilateral ties between the two nations.
The timing is no accident. It caps a diplomatic effort that stretches back more than two decades, to King Mohammed VI’s first tour of Latin America in 2004 — a trip that laid the groundwork for closer ties with a region where, for years, Algeria enjoyed stronger historical sympathies than Morocco on the Sahara question. What followed was two decades of patient outreach, quiet diplomatic contacts, and targeted economic partnerships that appear to be paying off now.
Beyond the symbolic weight of the announcement, Colombia’s recognition is expected to open the door to deeper economic cooperation. Officials say discussions around a potential free trade agreement are already underway, with a high-level visit tentatively planned for November, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Foreign policy analysts see the Colombian move as part of a broader realignment across Latin America, where several governments are quietly reassessing decades-old alliances in favor of a more pragmatic, interest-driven approach — one less shaped by Cold War-era ideological loyalties and more by trade and economic opportunity.
For Rabat, every new recognition of its sovereignty over the southern provinces chips away at the diplomatic isolation of the Polisario Front and its remaining backers. It also reinforces momentum behind Morocco’s autonomy plan, which continues to gain traction within the United Nations and among an increasingly broad swath of the international community.
The open question now is how Algiers will respond to yet another diplomatic setback, as it watches its traditional support base in Latin America continue to erode. What is clear is that the map of nations backing Moroccan territorial integrity keeps growing, one capital at a time.
