Sahara: Outpouring of support to Morocco following recent events in Guerguarat continues

Since the intervention of the Royal Armed Forces on Nov.13 against Polisario militias to secure the Guerguarat crossing point and restore the free movement of people and goods between Morocco and Mauritania, many countries continue to show their solidarity with the North African Kingdom and voice their strong backing to the Moroccanness of the Sahara and to the Kingdom’s territorial integrity.

Joining the long list of countries that welcomed Morocco’s actions to secure the crossing point, Austria and Denmark have emphasized the importance of preserving security at Guerguarat.

The Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also expressed its support for the UN Secretary General to avoid an escalation of tensions and called on all parties to resume the political process under UN auspices.

Nikolaj Harris, Denmark’s ambassador to Morocco, published a tweet on November 24 to voice Denmark’s support for EU High Representative Josep Borrel’s statement, which insisted on the importance of preserving the freedom of movement and cross-border trade in Guerguarat.

In his recent statement on the situation at the border crossing post between Morocco and Mauritania, the head of European diplomacy had particularly insisted on the preservation of freedom of movement and cross-border trade in the area of El Guerguarat, and its significant impact on the entire Maghreb and Sahel region, a region of strategic importance, he had said.

He had also stressed “the paramount importance of ensuring respect for the ceasefire agreements in force since 1991 and reiterated the EU’s full support for MINURSO’s efforts to this end”.

The Danish diplomat’s message emphasized the importance Denmark grants to respecting the ceasefire agreement and the Nordic country’s support for the UN-led political process to end the Sahara conflict.

In Africa where the list of supporters of Morocco is expanding, Liberia has reaffirmed its supportive stand to Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over the Sahara.

In a press release issued lately by its Foreign Ministry, the Liberian government also expressed concern about the recent events in the southern provinces of Morocco and called for the respect of the free movement of goods and people at the border crossing point of Guerguarat between Morocco and Mauritania.

Liberia supports Morocco’s peaceful efforts to achieve a lasting solution under UN aegis, calls for the respect of the ceasefire and backs UN-led political and diplomatic process aimed at finding a settlement to the Sahara conflict, underlined the statement.
The same support was voiced by Sao Tome & Principe, through the voice of Foreign Affairs Minister Edite Ten Jua who was on visit to Rabat last week.

The Foreign Minister expressed her country’s support for the peaceful actions undertaken by Morocco to restore the free movement of goods and people in Guerguarat and condemned the blockade perpetrated by the polisario, which respected neither the resolutions of the United Nations nor the role of the African Union which supports the political process, calling for a peaceful solution.

She also reaffirmed the unwavering position of her country in supporting the Sahara as a Moroccan territory and in defending the territorial integrity of the Kingdom.

Sao Tome and Principe had translated its support to the Kingdom’s territorial integrity by the opening in January 2020 of a Consulate General in Laâyoune.