Kenya backs Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara, joint statement says

Kenya said on Monday it supports Morocco's plan to give the disputed region of Western Sahara autonomy under the North African kingdom's sovereignty, joining a growing number of African, Arab and Western countries that have tilted towards backing Rabat in the five-decade conflict.

The long-frozen conflict, dating back to 1975, pits Morocco, which considers the territory as its own, against the Algeria-backed Polisario front, which seeks an independent state in the desert territory.

In a joint statement issued after talks between the two countries' foreign ministers in Rabat, Kenya said it views the Moroccan plan as the only credible and realistic solution and the sole sustainable approach.

Kenya, after 60 years of bilateral diplomatic ties with Morocco, also opened an embassy in Rabat on Monday.

Morocco, a leading phosphates and fertilizer producer, has agreed to immediately accelerate exports of soil nutrients to Kenya, as the two countries plan to cooperate on renewable energies, tourism, fisheries, security and cultural and religious affairs, the joint statement said.

Morocco's foreign minister Nasser Bourita told reporters that Kenya's position on Western Sahara, which he called "the national cause", helped add a new impetus to bilateral relations.

Kenya is looking to export more tea, coffee and fresh produce to Morocco to balance its trade, Kenyan foreign minister Musalia Mudavadi said on his X account.

Kenya also backed a Moroccan initiative offering landlocked Sahel states access to global trade through Morocco's Atlantic ports, the joint statement said.