South Africa reaffirms support for Polisario under new government

In South Africa, the African National Congress (ANC) retains control of the country's diplomatic policy. In a speech to the House of Representatives on Thursday, July 11, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ronald Lamola, reaffirmed his country's support for the Polisario Front.

«As our foreign policy is anchored in our history of solidarity with those struggling against oppression and occupation, we will continue to support the people of Western Sahara in their quest for self-determination», the minister stressed.

«We call on the United Nations to take urgent steps towards holding the long-promised referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara - now the last colony left on the African continent - so that the Sahrawis can determine their destiny», he added. These positions were welcomed on Friday by the Polisario press agency.

Commenting on the recent announcement of a coalition government in South Africa, Moroccan academic Rachid Benlabah explained that «the choice of a jurist may presage continuity in foreign policy. Lamola was head of the Department of Justice and, above all, led his country's case against Israel before the International Court of Justice».

What must not be forgotten is that «the ANC draws parallels between the struggles of Palestine and the Polisario Front», he analyzed. Benlabah did not rule out a role, albeit a long-term one, for the Democratic Alliance, aimed at «influencing the foreign policy pursued by South Africa since 2004, to make it less inflexible towards partners that the ANC views with suspicion», including Morocco. South Africa recognized the so-called «Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic» (SADR) in 2004.