The Algerian regime has suffered another humiliating diplomatic setback after Moscow excluded again Polisario from the Russia-Africa cooperation forum held over the weekend in Cairo.
By excluding the separatist group from such an international event, Russia confirms its unwavering position that participation in its forums is open only to sovereign States recognized by the United Nations. The move dealt a hard blow to the Algerian military junta and deepened their international isolation.
Moscow had refused the participation of the Algeria-backed Polisario militia in the Russia-Africa Summits organized in St. Petersburg in 2023 and Sochi in 2024, despite pressures exerted by some African countries.
After failing to secure Polisario participation in Cairo, the Algerian diplomacy tried to no avail to rally African support for its separatist agenda as only Namibia and Zimbabwe backed an Algerian proposal seeking to divert the forum debate from Russian-African economic cooperation to a lost separatist cause.
The Sahara is handled exclusively by the United Nations. The latest UN Security Council resolution 2729 endorses the Moroccan Autonomy plan under the Kingdom’s sovereignty. It also calls upon the parties to the conflict (Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Polisario) to engage in discussions without preconditions, taking as basis Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal, with a view to achieving a final and mutually acceptable political solution.
But Algeria, the main party to the Sahara issue, refuses so far to comply, challenging the international community and threatening regional stability.
