Google has refused to remove from its Google Maps the border line separating Morocco from Western Sahara, which has been demanding independence for years.
Western Sahara is a mineral-rich region. Most of it is controlled by the Moroccan government, but the Algerian-backed Polisario Front militant group claims it as an independent state.
Last week, newspapers reported that the border between Morocco and Western Sahara had been removed from the map, in line with a United Nations Security Council resolution authorizing Morocco to grant the territory some autonomy.
On November 12, 2025, Google explained to AFP that people in Morocco do not normally see the dashed line separating their country from Western Sahara, but people in Western Sahara and elsewhere do.
A Google spokesperson said: “We have not changed anything about Morocco or Western Sahara on Google Maps. The map is based on our long-standing policy on disputed territories. Maps users outside Morocco see Western Sahara with a dashed line denoting the disputed border, while Maps users inside Morocco do not see Western Sahara.”
When the UN Security Council decided that Morocco should grant Western Sahara autonomy in some areas, it called on both sides, Algeria and Mauritania, to resume talks leading to a compromise.
