Mozambique and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) signed in Maputo on Wednesday a memorandum of understanding on political consultations between the two countries in the context of the African Union.
The memorandum was signed at the end of official talks between Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi, and his Sahrawi counterpart, Brahim Gali, who is on a three day official visit to Mozambique.
According to Mozambican Foreign Minister Oldemiro Baloi, the purpose of Gali’s visit is to strengthen the historic relations of friendship, solidarity and political cooperation between the two countries, and to strengthen their cooperation within the framework of the African Union.
The SADR is a former Spanish colony, whose independence was declared by its liberation movement, the Polisario Front, in 1976. Morocco attempted to annex the territory, in a move which Mozambique’s first President, Samora Machel, denounced as “African colonization”.
Mozambique has always been a strong supporter of the SADR, and of its right to sit as a full member of the African Union. The SADR was admitted to membership of the AU’s predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1982, and this led to Morocco walking out of the OAU.
Morocco was re-admitted to the continental body during an AU summit in Addis Ababa last month, even though it still occupies about 75 per cent of the territory of the SADR.
Baloi told reporters that, during their meeting, Nyusi and Gali discussed the political situation in the SADR in the African and international context. “After the admission of Morocco to the African Union at the Addis Ababa summit, there has been an evolution in the relations between the SADR and Morocco”, he said. “The question is to see whether or not Morocco will honour its commitments without conditions”.
The SADR, he pointed out, wanted guarantees that it will regain those parts of its territory currently occupied by Morocco, and that a climate of peace will reign in the region.
Morocco’s membership of the AU, Baloi stressed, must mean full respect for the sovereignty of the SADR, in the light of the African Union charter, which advocates respect for borders and outlaws the use of force to occupy the territory of another member state.
The SADR Foreign Minister, Mohamed Salem Salek, said that Moroccan membership of the AU should lead to an end to the violation of human rights by Morocco in occupied Sahrawi territory.
“Mozambique has always been in the vanguard in peace processes in Africa”, sad Salek, “and the AU is interested in seeing the conflict between Morocco and the SADR solved”.
He warned that Morocco should not imagine that t could join the AU with the purpose of destabilizing the SADR. Ending the Moroccan occupation”, he said, “will open space for discussing other matters in an environment of peace”.
Source: Mozambique and Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic sign memorandum – AIM report
