Sahara issue no longer on AU agenda

The Sahara issue is no longer on the agenda at the African Union, as the recently concluded 37th Summit of Heads of State and Government, the supreme body of the pan-African institution, made no reference or quotation on the national question, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita.

Since Morocco’s return to the African Union and following Decision 693 on the question of the Sahara, adopted unanimously at the Nouakchott Summit in 2018, the Sahara issue is no longer submitted to the African Union, i.e. is no longer on the agenda of the Pan-African organization, reaffirmed the Minister in a statement to the press on the sidelines of the AU Summit, which wrapped up on Monday in Addis Ababa.

Decision 693 on the Sahara issue, adopted unanimously at the 2018 Nouakchott Summit, underlines the exclusive competence of the United Nations over this issue.

None of the reports of this 37th AU Summit contained any quotation or reference to the Sahara issue, added the Minister, who represented King Mohammed VI at the Summit.

Similarly, the speeches by the African Union Presidency and the AU Commission made no reference to this issue, which falls within the exclusive remit of the UN.

These speeches focused on the real problems of the Continent, and not on the artificial and contrived conflicts that aim to create divisions and drive the continent back, said Bourita.

The 37th Summit of the African Union took place in a context marked by several strategic initiatives launched in recent months by King Mohammed VI, providing responses to several challenges facing the African continent, underlined the Minister.

The Foreign Minister cited, as an instance, the Royal Atlantic Initiative, which aims to make this area an opportunity for development, peace and stability on the African continent.

This royal initiative concerns 23 countries with an Atlantic coastline and aims to make this region a space for cooperation, coordination, and development, added Bourita.