French President Emmanuel Macron’s letter to Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, in which he recognized Western Sahara as part of Morocco in July 2024, was a strong signal to Rabat. And to Algeria, which supports the independence of the resource-rich Western Sahara. While Russia continues to expand in West Africa, France is trying to maintain its influence and, according to various reports, is supporting Morocco in the construction of a military airport in Western Sahara.