Morocco’s claim over territory it occupies in Western Sahara is formally recognised by the United States, Israel, France and, now it seems, Ryanair.
The Irish budget airline has been pulled up for advertising flights to Dakhla as a “Moroccan adventure”, because the city is in fact located in Western Sahara, a neighbouring country occupied by Morocco since the 1970s in one of Africa’s longest-running territorial disputes.
The Advertising Standards Authority, in a preliminary ruling on foot of a complaint from Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan, found Ryanair’s promotional material was misleading, on the basis that Dakhla was “not a part of Morocco”.
Morocco has occupied the majority of Western Sahara since 1976, after Spain withdrew from its former colony on the northwest coast of Africa, near the Canary Islands. A Sahrawi guerrilla campaign by the Polisario Front had separately been fighting for independence.
A United Nations-brokered ceasefire was agreed in 1991 between Morocco and the Polisario Front of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, which continues to press its claim.
Sometimes referred to as Africa’s last colony, Western Sahara is described by the UN as a “non-self-governing territory” under international law.
Promotional emails from Ryanair in March pushed flights to the coastal city of Dakhla as a place “where ocean, desert, and culture come together”, and offered visitors a chance to surf and “explore Moroccan culture up close”.
Hugh Lovatt, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank, said Morocco commonly used tourism and trade to “force international recognition” of its claim over Western Sahara.
“Whether you are talking about the European Commission, or Ryanair, it’s the price of doing business with Morocco that you include Western Sahara,” he said.
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Boylan, an MEP for Dublin, complained to the State advertising watchdog that Ryanair’s promotion of the Western Sahara city as a “Moroccan adventure” was misleading and offensive. “This advert erases indigenous people by showing the city as belonging to Morocco,” her office wrote.
In a preliminary decision, dated October 12th and seen by The Irish Times, the Advertising Standards Authority agreed the advert was likely to mislead people.
It recommended the authority’s independent council, which has to give the final sign off to decisions, uphold Boylan’s complaint and direct that the advert should not appear in its current form again.
In its submissions, Ryanair argued that it intended to give passengers an overview of the destination “without expressing any political stance”.
Ryanair, which offers flights to Marrakesh, Rabat and Fez in Morocco, opened the route to Dakhla early last year.
Morocco favours the creation of a Sahara autonomous region that has locally devolved powers but would remain under Morocco’s authority. This is viewed as unacceptable to the Polisario Front, which continues to advocate for full independence and international recognition.