In an exclusive interview with Hespress, former Tunisian president Moncef Marzouki said that “the policy followed by the Algerian regime has reached a dead end,” adding that its separatist narrative has “collapsed” and “no one buys it anymore.”
The former head of state and human rights advocate said Algeria’s position on the Sahara had ultimately failed.
“Morocco has won on points,” he said, arguing that the latest UN Security Council resolution on autonomy marked a decisive political shift. “The Algerian government has exhausted its resources,” he added, calling for a return to “realpolitik” and warning that politics is driven by power balances, not pride or slogans.
“Like the laws of physics, the rules of politics impose themselves whether we like it or not.”
Marzouki also addressed Sahrawis in the Tindouf camps directly, saying they were “the biggest losers” from the status quo and describing them as “hostages, without any doubt, of the Polisario and the Algerian regime.”
“As a human rights defender, I consider that these people have the right to dignity,” he said. “More than 100,000 people cannot remain for generations in such conditions.”
He reiterated his long-standing position that the solution begins with autonomy for the Sahrawis “within Moroccan sovereignty,” followed by full integration into Morocco and ultimately the revival of the Arab Maghreb Union.
“The Sahrawi in Tindouf is today trapped,” he said, noting restrictions on movement and family separation. “Instead of living their entire lives as refugees, they should return under autonomy and enjoy the same rights as Moroccan and Maghreb citizens.”
Marzouki concluded by sharing what he described as his personal dream: “I want to drive from Tunisia to Marrakech without being stopped by borders, like in Europe. And Moroccans should be able to travel freely to Djerba. That is our future. Reason and emotion both demand it.”
He warned, however, that “those clinging to outdated ideas will either change their policies or be swept away by reality. What is happening cannot continue indefinitely.”
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