Mali announced this Friday that « following a thorough review of this important (Sahara) issue, which has an impact on sub-regional peace and security, the Republic of Mali has decided, as of today, to withdraw its recognition of the “Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR)”».
This position was expressed by the Malian Government in a statement delivered by Abdoulaye Diop, Minister of Foreign Affairs, following a meeting with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, who is paying a visit to Bamako at the instructions of King Mohammed VI.
Mali “supports the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco as the only serious and credible basis for resolving this dispute and considers that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the most realistic solution,” the statement added.
Mali also expressed “its support for the efforts of the United Nations and the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General, as well as for the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, particularly Resolution 2797, adopted on October 31, 2025,” the statement said.
The Malian minister further stated that this decision will be shared with the regional and international organizations of which Mali is a member, as well as with the diplomatic corps accredited in Bamako.
In another related development, Kenya expressed on Thursday its support for autonomy for the Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty as the only credible and realistic solution to resolve the dispute, and affirmed its intention to cooperate with like-minded States to promote the plan implementation.
This position was expressed during the first session of the Morocco-Kenya Joint Cooperation Commission, co-chaired in Nairobi by Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.
In the Joint Communiqué adopted at the end of this Joint Commission, Kenya welcomed the growing international consensus and the momentum driven by King Mohammed VI in favor of the autonomy plan presented by Morocco, describing autonomy as “the only credible and realistic solution to resolve the dispute over the Sahara.”
Deeming the Morocco-proposed autonomy plan to be a “sustainable approach” to resolving the regional dispute over the Sahara, Kenya stated its intention to “cooperate with like-minded States to promote its implementation.”
Kenya also welcomed the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2797, which enshrines “the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty as the basis for a just, lasting and mutually acceptable resolution of the dispute.”
In this regard, Kenya stated that it “endorses the efforts of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to facilitate and conduct negotiations based on the autonomy plan.”