Guelmim-Es Semara

Guelmim-Es Semara encompasses the northern portions of Western Sahara under Moroccan administration, including the transitional zone between undisputed Moroccan territory and the disputed Saharan regions. The area illustrates the complex integration of contested territory into Moroccan administrative and economic structures, where over 80% of Western Sahara's population now lives in urban areas and more than 40% concentrate in the administrative center Laayoune.

The Moroccan government administers this region's economy as the primary source of employment, infrastructure development, and social spending. The phosphate industry anchors economic activity, though the major mining operations center further south at Boucraa. Phosboucraa, a wholly owned OCP subsidiary, operates the phosphate mining center with 800 million tonnes of reserves representing 2% of Morocco's national phosphate holdings and annual production capacity up to 3 million tonnes. A 100-kilometer conveyor belt, the world's longest, transports ore to processing facilities near Laayoune.

International legal challenges complicate resource extraction. In October 2024, the European Court of Justice ruled that EU-Morocco fishing and farming deals were invalid due to lack of consent from the Sahrawi people. Yet diplomatic momentum has shifted: Spain endorsed Morocco's autonomy plan in 2022, Germany in 2024, and the UK in June 2025. The October 2025 UN Security Council resolution extending MINURSO's mandate was widely interpreted as endorsing Morocco's position. Local unemployment remains high, with Saharawis reporting systematic preference for Moroccan immigrants in government, fishing, and phosphate industry employment.