Twenty-Eight African Nations Contest SADR Membership in African Union

The days of the self-proclaimed SADR as a member of the African Union seem to be counted after 28 African countries called for suspending the membership of the Algerian-based republic from all the bodies and activities of the African Union.

This came in a motion submitted by the 28 African nations to the President of Chad Driss Deby who holds the rotating presidency of the African Union.

The call comes after a message from King Mohammed VI who made a strong case in favor of Morocco’s commitment to Africa and stressed the need for a neutral African Union in line with international legality.

In the motion, the signatory countries underscored that the suspension of the SADR will pave the way for the AU to positively contribute to the UN efforts to find a lasting settlement to the regional dispute over the Sahara.

The document described the admission of the SADR as a regrettable event and underlined that mending such an error by suspending the membership of the separatist Polisario will enable the “legitimate return” to the African Union of Morocco, “a founding member of the OAU and whose active contribution to the stability and development of the Continent is widely recognized.”

The motion was signed by Presidents of Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Comoros, the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Eretria, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Libya, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sau-tome, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Togo and Zambia.