South Africa to organize diplomatic forum for Polisario in Tindouf

South Africa is planning to organize a diplomatic forum in support of the Polisario Front in the Tindouf camps in the near future. This announcement was made by Sello Patrick Rankhumise, Chargé d'Affaires of the Pretoria Embassy to «SADR».

Speaking at a Polisario-initiated meeting in the Boujdour camp on Algerian territory, the diplomat said that the embassy was «carrying out organized visits to the camps with the aim of ascertaining the situation of the refugees and reaffirming the solid relations between his country and the SADR».

This announcement comes after South Africa was not able to secure inclusion of support for the Polisario on the agenda of the BRICS meeting of deputy foreign ministers, held in Moscow on April 25. Egyptian media revealed this setback earlier this week. The accession of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt to the BRICS grouping on January 1, 2024, is believed to have led to the rejection of the South African proposal. Russia and India were also reportedly less than enthusiastic about the Ramaphosa government's initiative.

Previous editions of the diplomatic forum in support of the Polisario were organized by the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the South African Embassy in Algiers hosting the closing session.